Just How Old Is Luffy Supposed To Be in ‘One Piece,’ Anyway?
Monkey D. Luffy, also known as Straw Hat Luffy, is among the most iconic and recognizable characters in manga and anime. He is the main protagonist of the manga One Piece by Eiichiro Oda and of the anime series of the same name. Throughout both of these long-running series, he has captivated fans with his rubber-like body and insatiable desire for adventure, as he strives to find the mysterious One Piece treasure and become the Pirate King. After surpassing 1000 chapters and a thousand anime episodes, Luffy will be getting another adventure soon, and this time it will be in live action.
Similar to its live-action adaptations of Bleach and Cowboy Bebop, Netflix will soon bring a One Piece live-action TV series to fans, as well. The series is set to premiere on August 31, 2023, and features Iñaki Godoy in the lead role of Luffy. Godoy previously starred in The Imperfects and Who Killed Sarah before nabbing the role of the Straw Hat leader. While playing one of the most iconic characters in anime comes with a bit of pressure, Godoy has indicated he is up to the task, and he looks like a great Luffy based on the official One Piece trailer.
His casting, though, might raise some questions about Luffy’s age. Godoy is 19 years old in real life, so how does this compare to Luffy’s age in the manga and anime series? Also, speaking of age, across over 1000 episodes and 1000 manga chapters, has Luffy’s age changed at all?
What is Luffy’s age in One Piece?
When Luffy is introduced for the very first time in the first chapter of the One Piece manga, he is just seven years old. However, he does not remain at this age very long. That was just an important year in Luffy’s life because it was the age at which he infamously ate a devil fruit. This fruit has the power to give those who eat it unique abilities, and Luffy finds that it makes his body like rubber. With his new powers and confidence, he decides at age seven that he’s going to build up his own pirate crew and find the One Piece treasure.
After viewers get acquainted with this brief origin story, they fast-forward 10 years to catch up with Luffy in the present. So, aside from the intro, Luffy is 17 years old for the majority of One Piece. However, he does age during One Piece‘s time-skip. Both the manga and the show introduced a two-year time-skip to the One Piece storyline. The manga time-skip occurs between chapters 597 and 598, while the anime time-skip takes place between episodes 516 and 517. During this time-skip, the characters pretty much just trained and aged, allowing them to come back a little older and stronger. Since Luffy was 17 when One Piece started, this means he has been 19 since the time-skip occurred.
(featured image: Toei Animation)
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