Eiichiro Oda's One Piece is one of the most popular manga and anime series of all time. The (mis)adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat crew are popular worldwide, with millions of fans waiting for new chapters of the manga and new episodes of the anime, both of which are still ongoing. One Piece is one of the "Big Three" anime series, alongside Bleach and Naruto, and in this article, we decided to talk about the amazing characters in this series.

What we're about to give you is a list of the nine members of the Straw Hat Pirates and their actual nationalities. Why just them? Well, One Piece fans will know that the famous SBS sections always contain various fun and interesting tidbits, and in SBS 56, Eiichiro Oda was asked to provide us with the nationalities of his protagonists, and here's what he replied:

Oda revealed the nationalities of some of his characters

Like many interesting and amusing tidbits, the Straw Hats' nationalities were revealed in the SBS special segment, in which Oda answers fans' questions. This information was revealed in SBS Volume 56, and the question was:

D: Nice to meet you, Oda-sensei. I have a question. If One Piece took place in the real world, which countries would the nine Straw Hats come from? Pen name: MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER

O: Well. I'll just put what fits the character's image.

• Luffy: Brazil
• Zoro: Japan
• Name: Sweden
• Usopp: Africa
• Sanji: France
• Chopper: Canada
• Robin: Russia
• Francs: United States
• Stream: Austria

So, now that we have the official information, let's take a look at each character individually. Now, we don't have any information to go on, as Oda-sensei said he simply chose the nationalities by looking at his characters, but introducing them a little is never a bad thing.

Monkey D. Luffy

Nationality: Brazilian

Oda revealed that Luffy is Brazilian, and since he's somewhat exotic, it makes sense from a certain perspective; it's easy to imagine him coming from Brazil. Luffy, also known as "Straw Hat" or "Straw Hat Luffy" after his trademark, is the captain of the Straw Hat Gang.

His greatest dream is to find One Piece, a legendary treasure, and thus become the Pirate King. As a child, he ate the Hito-Hito no Mi fruit (Nika model) and thus has a stretchy rubber body. At first glance, Luffy always seems lively, carefree, aimless, and curious. But if he finds a goal, he never takes his eyes off it and never gives up.

Roronoa Zoro

Nationality: Japanese

Making Zoro Japanese made perfect sense. He's a samurai, One Piece originated in Japan, and while he doesn't have a Japanese name, his nickname (Bushido) is enough for us to agree with Oda on this point. Zoro, also known as "Pirate Hunter," is a former bounty hunter and was the first to join Luffy. His goal is to become the best swordsman in the world. To achieve this goal, he trains very hard so he can defeat the current best swordsman, the samurai of the sea, Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk. He is the only known swordsman who fights with three swords at the same time. Zoro is somewhat like his captain and places great importance on loyalty. His weakness is his poor sense of direction.

We

Nationality: Swedish

Nami is said to be Swedish, and it's a choice we're not so sure about; she could certainly be European, but with her red hair, she'd probably be British or even Russian rather than Swedish, but that one isn't that far off, really. Nami, also known as "Cat Burglar" Nami, is the team's navigator and cartographer. Nami is very high-spirited and loves nothing more than oranges and money. Her dream is to draw a perfect map of the world. After initially using a simple wooden staff in battle, she later uses the weather staff built by Usopp, whose components create special bubbles that release heat, cold, or electricity.

Usopp

Nationality: African

Save for the nose, Usopp actually does look like a character from Africa, and we actually do agree with Oda's pick when Usopp is concerned. Usopp, also known as “Sogeking”, is the crew's marksman and weapons specialist and was the ship's carpenter before Franky joined the gang. Usopp is the son of Yasopp, a member of Shank's pirate gang, and Banchina. Often a coward, storyteller, and liar, he can sometimes be counted on in sticky situations. His goal is to become a brave warrior of the seas and later also the best marksman in the world.

Vinsmoke Sanji

Nationality: French

Sanji being French makes sense from a symbolic and cultural perspective, as the French have always been referred to as great lovers, which fits Sanji somewhat, if only comedically. Sanji, also known as "Black Leg," is the chef on Luffy's ship. He has a weakness for beautiful women and will flirt with any pretty girl, often acting very childishly. In order to spare his hands, which are needed for cooking, Sanji only fights with his feet.

Tony Tony Chopper

Nationality: Canadian

The fact that Chopper is Canadian is also symbolic, as Chopper is a deer. We all know that deer (or moose, to be more precise, but they look similar) are animals traditionally associated with Canada. "Cotton Candy Lover" Chopper is a male reindeer who ate the human-human fruit, thus becoming a human reindeer. Chopper is the only known person who can fuel his Devil Fruit with something called Rumble Balls. He is the doctor on the Straw Hats' ship. He is very introverted, therefore shy, and does not accept compliments well, but he has the ability to talk to animals.

Nico Robin

Nationality: Russian

Nico Robin being Russian isn't far off, but it's also not the most accurate choice; she looks more Italian or even Spanish than Russian, but like Nami, it's not that far off. Nico Robin is an archaeologist and the fourth-oldest member of the crew. She ate the Flora Flora fruit, which gave her the ability to grow body parts wherever she could see. Her goal is to reconstruct the Rio Poneglyph, which is said to contain the truth about the true story. Thanks to her archaeological studies and the destruction of Ohara, she is the only person in the world capable of reading and deciphering this poneglyph.

Cutty "Franky" Flam

Nationality: American

Franky being American also makes a lot of sense; he has Elvis's hairstyle, and there's also a very symbolic meaning behind Franky being American, so we can agree with that one as well. Franky, actually "Cutty" Framm, is a cyborg and the ship's carpenter for the Straw Hat Gang after they rescued him and Robin from Enies Hall. He dreams of building a ship that will take him around the world. This ship is said to be the Straw Hat Gang's new ship, which the gang received as thanks. However, in order for the dream ship to do this, he accepted Luffy's offer to join him.

Stream

Nationality: Austrian

Brook being Austrian makes as much sense as Brook still being alive—none. We don't know why Oda chose Austria for Brook, as even in life, he didn't look Germanic; perhaps it was just a coincidence? Brook, also often referred to as the "Soul King," is a living human skeleton and a member of a Rumba pirate gang. His being a living skeleton is due to the Dead Realm Fruit, which allowed his soul to return to his body after his physical death.