Along with Son Goku, Ash Ketchum, and probably Naruto, if there's one anime and manga character who doesn't need a detailed introduction, it's One Piece's protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy is the leader of the Straw Hat Pirates and is one of the most recognizable brands in the world of anime and manga, which explains his popularity. Of course, this prompted us to write another article about Luffy, focusing on his personality and wit.

Namely, it's often been discussed within the fandom that a character might belong to a certain group, and in Luffy's case, he's often described as autistic. And even though we can officially confirm that Luffy isn't an autistic character, according to canon, we still have a few interesting situations we can mention that explain why some fans thought he might be autistic. And here's our list!

Monkey D. Luffy is certainly not autistic, but on several occasions he has acted like it.

As we've said, Monkey D. Luffy really doesn't need a standalone introduction. Ever since he was a young boy, he wanted to become a pirate, and he later did so, forming the Straw Hat Pirates with his friend. Even before them, but especially after, Luffy and his allies accomplished some miraculous feats throughout the world of Oda's masterpiece.

This article will not retrace his adventures but rather his personality. Generally speaking, Luffy is helpful and quite cheerful in this aspect and charismatic, which is how he brought people to join his crew. Luffy is on a quest for the treasure of One Piece, and his behavior is sometimes so different, so… unusual… that many fans have speculated that he might be autistic.

We can immediately confirm that Luffy's overall behavior is not autistic. He is not on the spectrum, and even though Oda made him original and unique in more ways than one, he is certainly not autistic. Yet, his behavior, as unusual as it is, has led many fans to believe that he might be. Now, before we actually get into that, let us first explain what autism actually is:

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by persistent deficits in the ability to initiate and maintain reciprocal social interaction and social communication, and by a range of restricted, repetitive, and inflexible patterns of behavior, interests, or activities that are clearly atypical or excessive for the individual's age and sociocultural context. The disorder begins during the developmental period, usually in early childhood, but symptoms may not become fully manifest until later when social demands exceed limited abilities. The deficits are severe enough to cause impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of functioning and are usually a pervasive feature of the individual's functioning, observable across settings, although they may vary depending on social, educational, or other context. Individuals on this spectrum demonstrate a full range of intellectual functioning and language abilities.

( Source )

This is the official definition of autism, as provided by the WHO in its ICD-11. This definition tells us what autism is and how it manifests; of course, there's more to it in real life, but this pretty good summary covers all the bases. As we said, Luffy isn't actually autistic, and you can basically see that if you skim through this definition, but if you do, you'll also understand why people think he might be.

In light of this, we've decided to list ten behavioral patterns in Luffy that actually suggest he might be autistic and explain them so you know the whole truth. Here we go:

1. His goal is also his obsession

Autistic people often develop obsessive behavior that focuses on something. If you've seen Rain Man, you'll probably remember how much Dustin Hoffman's character focused on numbers and so on. This was, for him, an obsession, and we can't really deny that Luffy's focus on pirates and finding One Piece isn't his obsession either. It's not a manifestation of his autism, just a personality trait, but we can understand why fans think it might be.

2. He is sincere, sometimes to the point of being direct

Autistic people don't really know how to sugarcoat things. Due to a general lack of social intelligence and the inability to read the room properly, they are usually sincere and will bluntly state the truth or their opinion, regardless of the consequences; sometimes, they don't even understand them. This is, of course, classic Luffy, as he has been frankly sincere on several occasions, which has occasionally gotten him into trouble with some of the other characters.

3. His relationship with his hat

The straw hat Luffy received from Shanks, which belonged to Roger in the past, is an important part of the story and a symbol of the series in some ways. Luffy is extremely attached to it, so much so that he was willing to risk his own safety for it on several occasions. He rarely gives it to anyone (Nami is a character he trusts enough to let her keep it for himself), and it serves as a comfort to him, which is a typical behavior associated with autism.

4. His face blindness

Although not a typical sign of autism, face blindness can also be associated with the condition. People on the spectrum don't remember faces very well, and Luffy, while not completely useless in this regard, has had trouble recognizing certain characters in different circumstances, no matter how obvious their identities are; for example, he still has no idea that Sogeking and Usopp are the same person. However, he had no trouble recognizing Koby, even though the latter had changed a lot since their previous encounter.

5. Socially incompetent

While we can't deny that Luffy loves his friends and crew members very much, it's a fact that he had a hard time making friends due to his unique personality. He wasn't mean or anything. He just needed time to get used to it, and most people never gave him that time. Such a lack of social intelligence and social skills is usually associated with autism. Yet, under Luffy's care, this is just another personality trait and not proof that he's actually autistic in the series.

6. His relationship with food

We all know that Luffy can eat incredible amounts of food, and in this regard, he is one of the most prolific eaters in the entire series. This is especially true when it comes to meat, which is a type of food that Luffy can devour without any problem. While such an obsession with food can also indicate autism, in Luffy's case, it is simply a necessity, as his body consumes a large portion of his energy because he ate a Devil Fruit, and his body is not normal in this regard.

7. Inability to lie

This one actually ties into number two if you recall, as we established that Luffy's sincerity and occasional straightforwardness could indicate that he's autistic. Add to that the fact that he basically can't lie (he's not honest, Abe, but this trait ties in with his sincerity), and you have a pretty solid example of autistic behavior in Luffy's case. But, as we said, this is just a behavioral trait, as Luffy is definitely not autistic in the series, despite these facts.

8. Reading the play is impossible for him

This entry on our list is a manifestation of number five, as Luffy is unable to properly assess the situation. Whether he doesn't know what to say or how to act, you can count on Luffy making a fool of himself when he's not supposed to. A major manifestation of this is his inability to read people's facial expressions correctly, which is also common among autistic people. So we understand why people thought this after observing Luffy.

9. Oddities here and there

Luffy has many personal and behavioral quirks. For example, he likes to sit on the figurehead of his ship, which is often cited as an example of his autistic behavior. Autistic people have their own way of observing the world, and doing so correctly can make them seem odd to others, especially when they have their own rituals and habits. Luffy has quite a few of these, but that's simply because Oda wanted to create a special character, not because he's autistic.

10. Inability to express emotions

Autistic people also often have time to express their own emotions, especially love, and accept it from others; sometimes they don't even understand it. Luffy's story with Boa Hancock and how he handled her obvious affection for him is a prime example of this, but it all adds up to the fact that Luffy is simply special and not autistic.

Got anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!