Summary
- Sanji’s compassion sets him apart from his crewmates in One Piece, making his best moments when protecting the whole crew.
- Sanji’s confrontation with Enel in Skypiea Arc showcases his selfless sacrifice for Usopp, capturing his true character essence.
- Sanji’s cool and suave side shines through in his epic one-liners during combat, making his confrontations memorable in One Piece.
Sanji has always had an interesting place as a character in the world of One Piece. On one hand, Sanji is a beloved character, full of interesting depth and backstory, as well as being one of the strongest and most reliable members of the Straw Hat Crew. On the other hand, Sanji is also slightly ruined by his character’s reliance on gags throughout One Piece, leaving many fans not taking him too seriously.
However, no matter the audience’s view of Sanji, he is still one of the most important characters in One Piece. Being a part of the Monster Trio of the Straw Hat Crew, Sanji has proven time and time again why he is a valuable ally to Luffy. However, one great One Piece moment proves just how amazing Sanji is not only as a member of the Straw Hat Crew, but as a character in general, perfectly encapsulating the good sides of his interesting personality.
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Sanji’s Character In One Piece Is Defined By His Compassion
The Best Sanji Moments Focus On His Empathy
Compared to the rest of the Straw Hat Crew, especially the other members of the Straw Hat Crew Monster Trio, Sanji is highly emotional. Having an extremely troubling childhood, Sanji is far more in tune with his own emotions and the emotions of others, especially when compared to characters like One Piece’s Luffy and Zoro, who tend to hide their emotions more. Outside of his physical strength, this compassion for others and willingness to feed and protect those who need it is arguably Sanji’s best quality, something that Sanji’s best moments play into.
Thanks… I was just about to ask… for a light. – Sanji to Enel
On the flip side, many fans have criticized Sanji’s personality for his obsession with women, which borders on creepy. Although this aspect of the character is played for laughs, it does weaken most of the epic moments that it is featured in. Due to this, the best Sanji moments in One Piece, more often than not, tend to be when Sanji chooses to protect the whole Straw Hat Crew, rather than specifically targeting the women on the crew.
Sanji Confronting Enel Is His Best Moment In One Piece
This Combines The Best Parts Of His Character
- Sanji’s Best Moment Comes From His Confrontation With Enel
- This Moment Perfetly Captures Who He Is As A Character
Surprisingly, although there are many amazing Sanji moments during post-time skip One Piece, the best Sanji moment in the series comes far earlier. Coming from One Piece’s Skypiea Arc, the best Sanji moment in the series so far is when Sanji saves Usopp from Enel’s attack, sacrificing himself to protect his crew mate. In this scene, while Usopp is about to possibly be killed by Enel’s lightning, Sanji kicks him out of the way and takes the strike instead. However, instead of falling right away, Sanji thanks Enel for lighting his cigarette and tells him he will pay for doing this, before collapsing.
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While this moment shows Sanji being defeated by a stronger opponent, it’s a perfect moment that encapsulates the great elements of Sanji’s character in One Piece. Mainly, this scene shows Sanji’s compassion for his crew, and not just women, on full display. Although he is harsh on characters like Usopp, from this scene alone, it’s obvious that Sanji would die for him, if it meant Usopp would be safe. Although in modern One Piece, Sanji’s obsession with women has gone a bit too far, moments like this are what many fans are looking for from Sanji’s character.
This Moment Perfectly Exemplifies Sanji’s Cool Side
His One-Liners Are Perfect Overall
At the same time, while Sanji tends to be a bit awkward on a day-to-day basis, using overly dramatic lines to attempt to charm One Piece’s Robin or Nami, these lines work much better as epic one-liners in combat. Similar to when Sanji acted as Mr. Prince during One Piece’s Alabasta Arc, Sanji simply thanking Enel for lighting his cigarette is the perfect mix of cool and suave that fans have come to expect from Sanji’s character. It seems, overall, the best Sanji moments are always accompanied by one of the best one-liners in the series, and this moment was one of his first and most memorable.
Yeah… you’ll pay… for this. – Sanji
In the end, while his personality and dynamic on the crew can be a bit grating sometimes, Sanji has had some amazing moments in One Piece that capture the complexities of his character. Sanji’s strongest moments in the series always seem to come when he can look past his obsessions and shows just how much he cares about the Straw Hat Crew as a whole, and not just the women on the crew. Although there are many great examples of the character doing this, Sanji’s confrontation with Enel in One Piece will always be one of the best and earliest examples.
