Luffy’s Most Important Relationships, Ranked

Summary

• Luffy has formed close bonds and unique relationships with many different characters.
• Dadan acts as Luffy’s adoptive mother, Sabo is a beloved older brother, and Sanji is a trusted friend and chef.
• Luffy shares strong connections with Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Shanks that shaped his journey and redefined his character.

There are many things that make One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy such a fascinating and endearing protagonist, like his friendly personality, his comedic antics, his over-the-top fighting style, and most important of all, his innate ability to quickly create close bonds with other people.

Because of this, there are several prominent relationships in Luffy’s life that he holds dear to his heart, and he has proven that he’s willing to go the extra mile for his friends, family, and crew. Nevertheless, the following eight relationships are the most important ones that Luffy has formed throughout his many adventures.

8

Curly Dadan

She’s Basically His Adoptive Mother

• First Appearance: Chapter 440 (Manga) Episode 324 (Anime)

The identity of Luffy’s biological mother still hasn’t been revealed to the audience, but in a way, it really doesn’t matter because he already has a prominent maternal figure in his life. Curly Dadan is the boss of a group of mountain bandits that Monkey D. Garp forced to take care of both Luffy and Portgas D. Ace for many years.

Despite her reluctance and her inexperience with raising children, Dadan really grew to care deeply about her adoptive sons and didn’t hesitate to protect them with her own life. Right before starting his pirate journey, Luffy thanked her for everything she did for him and told her that he liked her. In return, Dadan began following his whereabouts and celebrating every single one of his accomplishments (like the proud mother she is).

7

Sabo

His Beloved Older Brother That Came Back From The Death

• First Appearance: Chapter 583 (Manga) Episode 494 (Anime)

Sabo is one of Luffy’s childhood friends who basically became like an older brother to him and even moved in with the mountain bandits after he escaped from his abusive household. Unlike Ace, however, he was a lot more patient and kinder with Luffy, who ended up learning a lot from him.

Unfortunately, Sabo got attacked by a Celestial Dragon, and his brothers believed he had been dead for many years. When Luffy reunited with him during the Dressrosa Arc, his emotional reaction said everything about his relationship with Sabo: he was glad that his beloved older brother was back in his life, especially after Ace died during the Paramount War of Marineford. From that point onward, the two of them began helping each other out as much as they could, even if their respective journeys led them to separate paths.

6

Sanji

The Best Chef In The World Is Also One Of His Closest Friends

• First Appearance: Chapter 43 (Manga) Episode 20 (Anime)

It’s important to point out that Luffy loves all his crewmates almost equally and that he has formed important relationships with all of them, but he obviously is closer to some than to others. In the case of Sanji, he holds a special place in his heart because he’s the person responsible for feeding him most of the time, which may sound like a joke, but Luffy does actually value the people who give him food a lot.

Of course, Sanji’s close friendship with Luffy is not only centered on food, seeing as he’s also a strong, intelligent, and trustworthy friend, and his unique skills have saved the Straw Hat Pirates on multiple occasions. It’s no wonder Luffy didn’t hesitate to infiltrate Big Mom’s territory in order to save Sanji during the Whole Cake Island Arc, which remains one of the most moving things the main character has ever done in the story.

5

Usopp

A Friend His Age That He Can Goof Around With

• First Appearance: Chapter 23 (Manga) Episode 8 (Anime)

The close friendship between Luffy and Usopp is as endearing as it is important. For most of his life, the main character of the series interacted with people who were older than him (like Ace, Sabo, Garp, or Dadan). But, when he met Usopp, he was finally able to form a relationship with a young boy of the same age.

They have shared countless experiences together, whether they’re just goofing around on the ship or they are fighting against a common enemy, so it’s always great to see how Luffy doesn’t care about Usopp’s weaknesses and still relies on his unique sniping skills whenever it’s necessary. Because of all this, their fallout during the Water 7 Arc was heartbreaking for them and for the audience, but it also made their relationship stronger after Usopp rejoined the crew.

4

Nami

The Most Important Woman In His Life

• First Appearance: Chapter 8 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

Since Curly Dadan was one of the very few positive female role models Luffy had while growing up, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he eventually befriended a woman that was very similar to her in terms of personality. Truth be told, the platonic relationship he has with Nami is truly adorable, funny, and special, unlike any other in the entire crew.

Luffy gravitated toward Nami almost immediately, and despite her early betrayal, he didn’t hesitate to help her out by defeating Arlong in her name, despite not knowing anything about her past. That event cemented her as one of Luffy’s closest and most loyal friends, and they have repeatedly proven that they truly care about each other as if they were family — even though Nami is also the voice of reason who has to reprimand him whenever he’s acting too recklessly.

3

Roronoa Zoro

His Closest And Most Loyal Friend

• First Appearance: Chapter 3 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

The relationship between Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro is definitely one of the most endearing and fascinating friendships in all of One Piece. They had incredible chemistry with each other the moment they met, and despite their differences, Zoro quickly grew to respect and admire his new captain. Throughout many different story arcs, they both grew stronger together and supported each other to achieve their respective lifelong dreams.

As a result of their companionship, Zoro has become Luffy’s right-hand man and his most loyal friend. Of course, this also means that he has to be a little bit more serious and remind Luffy of his responsibilities every now and then. Nevertheless, this has proven to be especially important for the captain of the crew, and it also strengthened his close bond with Zoro. Luffy’s adorable reaction when he reunited with him during the Wano Country arc perfectly exemplified how much he cares about Zoro — and that he doesn’t really enjoy going on adventures without his trustworthy friend.

2

Shanks

The Mentor That Inspired Him To Become A Great Pirate

• First Appearance: Chapter 1 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

Since he was basically abandoned and/or neglected by most of his family very early on in his life, Luffy gravitated toward a pirate named Shanks from a young age, and the resulting relationship practically shaped his entire life and personality. Shanks and his crew were always very friendly, funny, and kind, which was already enough for the young boy to begin looking up to him.

But, when Shanks saved Luffy from the Lord of the Coast by sacrificing his own arm, it was the moment that the protagonist learned what it truly meant to be a pirate — a sentiment that was accentuated when Shanks gifted him his beloved straw hat and told him to return after he had become a great pirate on his own. While they haven’t seen each other in many years, it’s clear that Luffy still holds Shanks in high regard, not only because he’s looking forward to reuniting with him in the near future, but also because he never hesitates to confront anybody who talks badly about his mentor, as readers witnessed very recently when he attacked Loki during the Elbaf Arc.

1

Portgas D. Ace

He Was Willing To Go To War With The World For His Older Brother

• First Appearance: Chapter 154 (Manga) Episode 91 (Anime)

Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace grew up together, and despite their obvious differences, they formed an unbreakable friendship that completely changed the course of their lives. When they reunited during the Arabasta Arc, it was immediately evident that Ace still saw Luffy as his adorable younger brother, so he asked the Straw Hats to take care of him while also protecting him from Smoker and the other Marines.

Ace was one of Luffy’s main role models growing up, and he clearly cared so much about him that he decided to go to Impel Down by himself in order to free him after he was captured by the World Government. And, when that plan failed, he interfered in the Paramount War of Marineford (a conflict he had nothing to do with) only to try to rescue Ace. Unfortunately, the abrupt death of Luffy’s older brother was incredibly shocking and emotional, and while it certainly broke the main character’s heart, it also had a positive impact on him, as it reminded him that he needed to grow stronger if he wanted to protect all the other important relationships in his life. That was basically Ace’s legacy, and he would certainly still be proud of Luffy if he could see how far he has gotten.