“So, finally all the straw hats have made it safely to Wano.”
“But…” “About time everyone got reunited after
all that´s happened. “ “Wait…”
“It just feels really good to have the entire crew back in one spot. “
“But, Brago, what about Jinbe?” “Uhm, who the hell is Jinbe?”
“I´m glad you asked!” I think it goes without saying that Oda is
a great fan of themes and patterns when it comes to writing his story. No matter if it´s
the distinct way he builds every single arc or his affinity for the number 3 Oda clearly
likes to bring some elements of structure into his enormous worldbuilding. The example
that you might be most familiar with though, is the distinct pattern, based on which he
has been building the straw-hat crew. Every straw hat has a tragic backstory that has
left them emotionally struggling. Every straw hat has a dream that they can pursue by joining
Luffy. But most importantly, every straw hat has stuck with Luffy and dedicated his life
to him ever since meeting him. And that is where Jinbe comes into play. Because
not only has he been the only new crew member to join after the time skip, but he also hasn´t
traveled with the crew, even a single time. How is that? Why is Jinbe´s arc so very different
from the other straw hats, even though he fulfills pretty much all of the criteria that
constitute a true straw hat? With the introduction of his character, Oda has deliberately broken
the pattern for how a new straw hat is supposed to join the crew. As we will see, there are
three big reasons for this: The purpose of the time skip, the complex political structures
of the New World, but most importantly Jinbe´s selfless personality. Not only does all this
make him a unique member of the crew, but also an incredibly intricate character that
keeps impacting the story in quite significant ways. And if we just take a step back, we
will see that Jinbe’s character actually embodies a central moral message that Oda
tackles within the story. So, let´s take a closer look at the helmsman of the straw-hat´s
and what role he has to play in the story of One Piece.
Oh, and before we get going, as you know Jinbe is the last official member of the straw hats.
So, that would make this video the very last in this series. But since it seems like you
guys are really enjoying watching these and I really love making them, I figured we might
keep this up a bit longer. So, why not make this a bit of a challenge for all of us? If
this video gets 2000 likes within the first 24 hours, the next Character Analysis will
be out within a week. A true challenge for you guys, I think. But especially one for
me, since I usually take at least twice that time to make a video like this. Also, pause
this video for a second, had down to the comment section and type in the character or group
that YOU think I should do next. The comment with the most likes gets himself a video,
maybe already next week. So smash that like button.
But now let´s dive right into the world of our karate-loving fishman.
When we look at his backstory, we will not only see that it fulfills the requirements
for being a straw hat, but also gives us the first clue to why Jinbe can sometimes feel
a bit out of focus and hard to grasp in the story. Being the only non-human in the crew,
next to Chopper, who at least ate the human-human fruit, Jinbe is the first straw hat that brings
the issue of racial inequality into the crew. As a result, his past as a fishman is very
different from any of the other straw hats. Jinbei grew up as an orphan on fishman island
together with Arlong and Fisher Tiger. From an early age on he practiced fishman-karate,
a powerful martial art, that he managed to master like no other. When he became older,
he joined the royal military, but left a few years later, after his friend Fisher Tiger
invaded Mary-Geoise, and he decided to join the Sun Pirates instead. Having witnessed
all of the injustice, that the fishmen had to suffer by the hand of the humans, young
Jinbe is rather violent and hateful. We can see him brutality beating unconscious Marines
accusing them of tolerating slavery and the discrimination of his people. Slowly however
that sentiment begins to change, as Fisher Tiger passes his vision for peace between
the races down to Jinbe. He manages to make him more aware of the endless cycle of hate
and revenge between fishman and humans, that has to be broken. A few years later, the Sun
Pirates meet the former human slave-girl Koala. After taking her in, Jinbe realized how traumatized
she was and starts to build a relationship with her. He starts to understand that not
all humans are evil and that fishmen aren´t the only ones to suffer under the reign of
the World Government. When they finally reach Koala´s village, they are ambushed by the
Marines and Fisher Tiger is fatally wounded in the process. After this heavy blow, Jinbe
becomes the new captain of the Sun Pirates. Despite also having to witness Otohime´s
death by the hands of the Tenryubito later, Jinbe decides to take on his former captain’s
dream and try to break the wheel of hate. He becomes one of the Shijibukai, joining
forces with the world government that he despises so much, in order to protect his people. However,
when Whitebeard declares war over Ace´s execution, Jinbe refuses to answer the government´s
call. After all, White Beard had been protecting Fishman island under his flag. As a result,
Jinbe is stripped of his rank and thrown into level 6 of Impel Down. He ends up in the same
cell as Ace. This is where we first get to meet him in the story.
So, as you can see, Jinbe clearly fulfills the criterium of having a tragic backstory.
Not only have the Fishmen been suffering as a race collectively for many centuries, but
Jinbe also had to witness the consequences of racial inequality through the deaths of
many people close to him. As we will see, racism is the great theme of Jinbe´s character
arc. However, before we can look at how Jinbe carries that theme throughout the plot, we
first have to understand the kind of person he is in general.
In a way, you could argue that Jinbe is what Brook might have been to the crew, hadn´t
he been stranded in the Florian Triangle for 50 years of his life. The fishman is a veteran
pirate, that has a very holistic understanding of the political and social workings of the
One-Piece world. Since his tragic past as well as the responsibility for his people
weigh heavily on his shoulders, Jinbe usually presents himself as a very serious and proud
warrior. However, if the circumstances allow for it, he shows us his lighthearted and gentle
side at times. I would argue, that THIS side comes a lot closer to what Jinbe´s true self
would really be, if you took away all the hardship in his life. So, if you ever wondered,
why Jinbe needs the Straw hats in the first place, this is why. Jinbe can learn to enjoy
life again and can allow himself to drop his shell when being with the crew. However, he
also brings a lot to Luffy and the others in return. First and foremost, having been
part of the Shijibukai for 11 years, Jinbe is not only a valuable source of knowledge
and experience, but also brings significant fighting power to the crew. This is complemented
by the fact, that he has mastered fishman-karate, possibly making him one of the strongest fighters
underwater. Apart from battle though, Jinbe also takes the role of the helmsman. While
the crew somehow managed so far without one, Whole Cake Island showed us how valuable it
can be to have this position filled with someone who knows what they are doing. Beside that
though, being a fishman, Jinbe is also able to control the sea currents and even talk
to the creatures of the ocean. All of these skills make him a true upgrade on the Sunny,
that will have to face more and more dangerous situations in the future.
From an internal perspective, Jinbe´s psychological need has been constantly shifting over the
course of the story, which speaks for really well writing from Oda´s side. It keeps the
story vivid and gives us continuous character development. In general, Jinbe´s need is
always focused around his initial hatred towards the humans for what they did to his people.
He needs to find a way to break the wheel of hatred in himself before he can start breaking
the wheel in general. Especially in his younger years, this moral need also affects those
around him. We can see this in his violence against humans, but also in the indifference
he shows for Otohime´s dream to facilitate peace. However, as we all know, Jinbe gets
a significant amount of character development over the course of time. As a result, his
initial hate towards the humans, slowly but steadily shifts and finally, Jinbe acquires
his dream, that is a crucial element of becoming a straw hat. His dream is to make coexistence,
equality and friendship between humans and fish-man possible and put his people out of
the misery under that they have been suffering for centuries.
As a result, Jinbe has built a distinct set of values over the course of his life, that
fully reflect his change in character. Being a proud warrior of the sea, Jinbe has a strong
sense of loyalty and duty. No matter the circumstances, Jinbe always tries to act honorable and true
to his word. While he prioritizes the loyalty towards his people and towards Luffy over
all else, he tries to avoid going back on his word as hard as possible. We can see this
in the relationship with the world government, to which he stayed faithful until they threatened
to take down the man who was protecting his people. Or in his relationship with Big Mom,
who he tries to compensate fairly, by bringing her a Poneglyph, before asking to leave her
crew in order to join Luffy. This also reflects in Jinbe´s strong believe in taking responsibility
for your actions. He expects this from others, but mostly from himself. For example, he begs
Nami for forgiveness for Arlong´s treatment of her village, feeling responsible for letting
Arlong go and do as he pleased. Due to his life-experience Jinbe also sees the importance
of thoughtfulness in your actions. He always seems to think things through and then reach
a conclusion to when and how something should be done. Did he join Luffy right on Fishman
Island, which he clearly wanted to do? No, he waits for the right moment in order to
not cause any trouble for Luffy OR his people. And that already brings us to Jinbe´s most
defining trait, his sense of selflessness. Like no other character in the story, does
he center his life around that of others. Jinbe would die for his people or for Luffy.
Their fate is what keeps him going. Whether it´s protecting Luffy from Akainu by taking
the hit himself or protecting his people from exploitation by becoming a pirate and allying
himself with forces like the world government or Big Mom. Jinbe truly takes altruism to
the next level. All this makes Jinbe a central driver of the
plot in the story. He saves Luffy multiple times during the war at Marineford, ensuring
his survival. And on Whole Cake Island, is he not only the one to free Luffy and Nami
from Big Mom´s capture, but later also lets the crew safely escape the grasp of the Yonko
by stirring the Sunny and later staying behind to hold off their enemies.
So now that we know, what defines Jinbe as a character in the story, let´s now look
at his character arc. Based on his background and especially the
intention behind the fishmen-island arc, the big theme of Jinbe´s character is racial
inequality, discrimination and racism as a whole. Every aspect of his development arc
revolves around events that highlight a different side of the conflict between humans and fishmen.
I don´t want to get too deep into, why the theme of fishman-island was racism and how
Oda draws parallels to our society, I think that would need an entire video on its own.
But I think we can all agree, that with Jinbe, Oda tries to introduce a character that struggles
with the way his people are treated by the rest of the world and at the same time tries
to work for a better future. Obviously, his backstory sets the premise for this development.
Being exposed to the cruelty towards his people, young Jinbe develops a deep hatefulness towards
the humans. After inheriting Fisher Tigers will and meeting the former slave girl Koala
however, Jinbe develops a more refined view of the humans. And while he still resents
the way the humans rule the world and suppress other races, he also understands that this
is not true for all of them and learns that other humans have to suffer from their system
as well. As a result, he overcomes his first moral need and starts dedicating his life
to creating a more positive world for the fishmen. Now however, we see Jinbe being caught
in between his resentment and his wish to make peace with the humans. Working for the
world government violates his ideals and he emotionally suffers from supporting their
cause in exchange for his people´s safety. This is where Marineford comes into play.
He decides to trust and support White Beard who has decided to put Fishman-Island under
his protection. Now, he has actually formed a connection with humans that value him and
his people solely for who they are as a person. And again, he has to see them being crushed
by the world government. So now, having lost his strongest lead to a peaceful and friendly
future through White Beard´s death, Jinbe now needs to find new hope for his dream.
And that brings us to fishman-island, where Jinbe truly befriends Luffy, whom he had learned
to respect during the war. Here he sees someone who truly doesn´t know or understand the
concept of racism, but only wants to help people and sail the sea together with his
crew. That this crew involves a talking reindeer, a skeleton and a cyborg, as well as people
like Nico Robin that have also suffered heavily from the cruelty of the government are all
factors that have a big impact on Jinbe. But probably none as big as meeting Nami. A human,
who now in return has suffered heavily under the retaliating hate that Arlong brought with
him towards the humans. Seeing that Nami bears no ill feelings towards his people, despite
what happened to her, truly makes Luffy and the Straw Hats the new source for his hopes.
All that is left for him now is to fulfill his dream and also find joy for himself once
again in his life, that he has solely dedicated to others. Seeing on Whole Cake Island, how
Big Mom´s forced idea of a coexistence of the races doesn´t work, finally being able
to officially join the straw hats was a big step in that direction for him. And the great
thing with Jinbe is, that with this final need for happiness still not fulfilled, he
actually has some real character development left in the story for him to happen, making
him a very fascinating character. So, “who the hell is Jinbe”? Jinbe is
one of the most symbolic and moral-heavy characters in the entire series. Not only has he shaped
some of the most significant events in the current storyline, but he also has been going
through one of the most complex and long-lasting character arcs in the story by far. He has
managed to break the wheel of hate between fishmen and humans and is now striving for
a better and safer future for his people, where equal and peaceful coexistence between
the races is possible. So why did Oda make an exception with Jinbe and didn´t let him
join the crew right away? Reason one was the purpose of the time skip. After the time-skip
it was Oda´s task to show us how each of the straw hats has grown and how the crew
of rookies has now become a real pirate crew that can play with the pros. Secondly, the
complex political structures of the New World with all the players involved, would have
been far less interesting to explore with someone in the crew who knew about all this.
But most importantly it was Jinbe´s selfless personality that led him to prioritize the
well-being of his people over joining in on the adventure right away. Keeping his relationship
with Big Mom was crucial to not spark conflict for his country. As a result, he hasn´t joined
up with the crew yet. He doesn´t feel like a real straw hat yet and still has gotten
way more character development and action than some other crew members. I feel like
that is the main reason many people have difficulties accepting Jinbe as part of the crew. However,
I will promise you that once he joins up with the crew that will change. Because not only
does our Whaleshark fulfill all requirements to be part of the crew, he also brings a lot
more to the story in terms of symbolism and personality. He is someone living for his
captain and his people. A truly selfless man. Hey everybody. Thank you so much for watching.
I know that this video was a little different than usual. Nonetheless, I think it shows
us how much thought Oda puts into many of the concepts he introduces. What are your
thoughts about Jinbe? Let me know in the comments below.
A big shout-out goes to my friend Brago, who was kind enough to help me with this project.
In the unlikely case you don´t know who he is, make sure to check out his amazing work
on his two channels. The link is right at the beginning of the description.
Also, if you enjoyed this content and want to see more of it, please don´t forget to
smash that like-button, share the video and subscribe to be notified for any future content
of mine. Or dislike, don´t share and unsubscribe, it´s a free world people.
I hope to see you around next time and until then, have a great week.
… Oh yeah and don´t forget to turn your notifications on! YouTube can sometimes be…forgetful.
Bye!