Similarities Between The Roger Pirates & The Straw Hats In One Piece

The story of the Roger Pirates and their captain, the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, came to an end around twenty years before Luffy set sail, yet their journey is still the stuff of legend. After all, they were only the second known crew to circumnavigate the globe successfully, the first being the long-forgotten Joy Boy.

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The Roger Pirates set a standard few can ever reach. This is true even for big names like the late Whitebeard, Big Mom, and even Kaidou. There is, however, one particular pirate crew in One Piece that shares some glaring similarities with the Pirate King’s crew. They are called the Straw Hat Pirates. It may not be obvious at first, but once viewers dig deep into both pirate crews, they are much more alike than they might think. With that in mind, here are some similarities between the Roger Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece.

7

The Monster Trio

The Three Strongest People In The Crew

• Character Names: Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban | Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji
• First Appearance: Episode 8 | Episode 3

The Monster Trio is a nickname given to the three most powerful individuals in a pirate crew. Make no mistake, every crew member is formidable in their own right, but the combat prowess of the Monster Trio stands apart from the rest of the crew. That’s why they are the first ones to jump onto the battlefield and beat up enemies.

For the Roger Pirates, the Monster Trio is Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban. With the Straw Hat Pirates, the Monster Trio is Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, and Vinsmoke Sanji. The second and third-in-command will usually jump first and handle the goons and the enemy executives, while the captains focus on facing the main villain.

6

The Reckless Captain

The Happy-Go-Crazy Captains

• Character Names: Gol D. Roger | Monkey D. Luffy
• First Appearance: Episode 1

Though Roger and Luffy lived in different times and hail from different backgrounds, their personalities are actually quite similar. They are both reckless men who act first before thinking about the consequences. They are the kind of men who set sail into a stormy sea filled with raging monsters with a big smile on their faces.

Before becoming the Pirate King, Roger famously clashed with Whitebeard in a fierce battle that raged on for days, only to end in a draw. After the fight, they all have a big feast and laugh together like old friends. Likewise, Luffy also famously declared war on the World Government, right at the Judicial Island of Enies Lobby. He also punched a World Noble at Sabaody Archipelago, right beside the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Clearly, these two are reckless, impulsive, and extremely hot-headed.

5

The Calm Right-Hand Man

The Dependable Vice Captain

• Character Names: Silvers Rayleigh | Roronoa Zoro
• First Appearance: Episode 8 | Episode 1

Every reckless captain needs a calm and collected first mate, and that is more or less what both the Roger Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates have. After all, unlike their rowdy captains, both Rayleigh and Zoro are calm and reasonable men. They are not ones to be overcome by emotions, and they can analyze a situation fairly quickly to provide the best advice for their captains.

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Rayleigh often scolded Roger whenever his captain tried to do something stupid. However, he would also support Roger even when he goes up against enemies far more dangerous than them, such as during the God’s Valley Incident. Likewise, Zoro has also been the one who stops Luffy when he was about to make a questionable decision, such as when Luffy was ready to go and rescue Sabo and Vivi after the Reverie Incident. Zoro asked his captain to believe in Sabo and Vivi’s power and think carefully before directly challenging the World Government. However, Zoro also wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself for his captain, as proven during his confrontation with Kuma at the end of the Thriller Bark Arc.

4

The Passionate Left-Hand Man

The Warrior Of Love

• Character Names: Scopper Gaban | Vinsmoke Sanji
• First Appearance: Episode 8 | Episode 20

If the right-hand men are the calm and reasonable people, the left-hand men are the passionate ones, especially when it comes to matters of love. They are both a lover and a fighter. They can knock down any enemies who dare to attack their captains and their crews. However, they will also lose their strength whenever they see beautiful women.

Both Gaban and Sanji are hopeless romantics who fall in love at the drop of a hat. After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Gaban traveled the world to witness the beauty of every land until he eventually settled down with a giant woman from Elbaf. Sanji, on the other hand, famously refuses to harm women and treats them all like princesses, regardless of their looks, background, or race. To these two, love has no limits.

3

Friendship With A Marine Officer

Respecting The Enemy

• Character Names: Monkey D. Garp | Smoker
• First Appearance: Episode 68 | Episode 48

The Marines have always been the natural enemy of every pirate. This fact was true back when the Roger Pirates were still active roaming the sea, and it is still true today in the Golden Age of Pirates. Battles are inevitable whenever these two opposing sides meet, but as with most things in life, there’s always an exception to the rule.

Not many people are aware that Gol D. Roger was actually quite close to the man hailed as the Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp. They fought together to bring down the infamous Rocks Pirates at God Valley. Roger even asked Garp to take care of his son, Ace, after his death. While not as close, Luffy and Smoker share a similar dynamic to that of his grandfather and the late Pirate King. They will both still punch each other whenever they meet, but they also respect each other. Smoker also doesn’t mind working with Luffy and the Straw Hats to achieve a common objective, as shown in the Punk Hazard arc.

2

The Focus On Freedom And Adventure

To Have The Most Freedom In The World

• Character Names: The Oro Jackson | The Thousand Sunny
• First Appearance: Episode 248 | Episode 321

There are many reasons why someone might decide to be a pirate. Some want fame, some want fortune, and some turn to piracy simply for the thrill of violence and destruction. Those aren’t the reasons why Roger and Luffy set sail and raised their pirate flags; what they seek is freedom and adventure.

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Though decades apart and strangers to each other, Roger and Luffy share one belief: pirates are the freest people, and to be Pirate King is to have the greatest freedom in the world. Exploring exotic places, experiencing new cultures, meeting strangers, battling bizarre creatures, and uncovering the world’s secrets—that’s the kind of freedom and adventure that drove Roger and Luffy to become pirates.

1

A Burning Ambition To Find The One Piece

Decoding tTe Poneglyphs And Finding The Last Island

• Character Names: Kouzuki Oden | Nico Robin
• First Appearance: Episode 910 | Episode 67

Though the legendary One Piece entrances a lot of pirates, only a handful of them actually dedicate themselves to finding this mythical treasure. After all, the only way to reach the promised land is by exploring the entire ocean in search of the ancient artifact known as the Poneglyphs, and not just any poneglyph. The ones that truly describe the way to the final island are called the Road Poneglyphs, and there are only four of those in the entire world.

As if that’s not difficult enough, the number of people who can actually read the forgotten language carved onto those artifacts can be counted on one hand. At that point, plundering and ransacking harmless towns seems so much easier, doesn’t it? Roger and Luffy didn’t begin their journey intending to find the One Piece. As mentioned before, they simply wanted to attain true freedom and enjoy the thrill of adventure.

However, the moment Oden and Robin—the two people who can actually read the information on the poneglyphs—joined their respective crews, both Roger Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates made it their mission to solve the mystery of the Poneglyphs, uncover the secrets of the world, and find the One Piece. Roger even went as far as retracing his steps from the beginning of his journey all those years ago to make sure they didn’t miss anything. That was the reason why Roger deserved to be called the King of Pirates, and why Luffy deserves to one day claim that title as well.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Writers

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

• 

  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

• 

  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)