I hate spoilers. With a passion. This hatred stems from an experience I had when the internet was still young. I was minding my own business reading the profile of a certain character from the series Vision of Escaflowne when all of the sudden, there it was. Before my mind could even process the weight of what I was reading so that I could stop myself from reading the sentence, it was already too late. I had been spoiled. And it wasn't just a side character who did something heroic, it was about my favorite character of the series and an earth-shattering secret surrounding them that I was completely unaware of.
I hate spoilers.
That said, I am warning you that if you read the contents of this Straw Hat Crew profile without even visiting or highlighting the specifically labeled 'Spoiler' sections, you will no doubt spoil some great secrets one way or another. Sorry, that's how life is. However, what I can do is guide you through how to go about reading these pages. First of all if you're new to the series, welcome! I imagine you have seen the animation or have at least seen promotional pictures. That is why I have decided not to count the identities of the first four crew members as spoilers because they appear in the first opening animation of the series. The fifth member has not been handled as a spoiler because he is One Piece's merchandising cornerstone and if you have not seen him, I don't know where you've been looking. The identity of the sixth crew member is not only one of the biggest surprises in the series, but one of the biggest I've seen in manga. That will remain a spoiler for as long as this profile exists. The identity of the seventh member is being handled as a spoiler because even dedicated fans argued until the bitter end over whether or not the character would join. I have decided that from the sixth crew member forward, any remaining crew members will be handled as spoilers. One common argument among critics that take issue with how I organize my site is, "But they're clearly seen together in promotional images." They certainly are, but the crew has been seen with a number of characters over the course of their journey that tagged along for the ride. It doesn't mean said characters joined the crew.
So let's say for example you've just read/seen the Arlong Park Arc, how do you approach this profile? First of all if I were you I'd go back where I came from and keep reading or watching. But if you really want to know more about your favorite characters then I suggest the following approaches to browsing the profile:
The data listed by each crew member's portrait as you click into their profile contains spoilers. If you haven't read beyond Volume 23 I would avoid reading Sanji's. There's no way around that one. Although I'm willing to make certain sacrifices and be vague in a number of other locations, there's a line that has to be drawn. Consider yourself warned.
Character 'History' sections are safe FOR THE MOST PART. Even if you know the identity of the sixth crew member, their 'History' section is still a major spoiler unless you've read beyond Volume 41. Other than that I have attempted to keep those sections as spoiler free as possible across the board.
'Strengths and Weaknesses' are pretty safe. I cannot think of any instance where I mentioned anything that would totally ruin any surprises.
Each character's 'Notes' section contains bits and pieces of data that when read by a relatively new fan or one that isn't caught up to date, might be considered mild spoilers. Certain major events are referred to but discussion or details of said events are purposely left vague.
'Spoiler' sections are exactly what you think they are. If you aren't caught up to date with the comic, read them at your own risk.
Ah, the 'Attacks and Techniques', simply overflowing with spoilers! But...designed intuitively so you can keep pace with your favorite attacks while remaining spoil free. Almost every character's attacks are listed in the order which they appear in the comic. So if you start seeing stuff that doesn't look familiar, stop reading! Furthermore, you may want to avoid the 'Used Against' column of the tables as they reveal some hefty spoilers. Again, if you see names that you don't recognize, back off. The exceptions to this kind of organization would be Zoro and Sanji whose attacks are grouped. That's another formatting line I'm not willing to cross just for spoilers. Again, consider yourself warned.
Similar to the 'Attacks and Techniques', the 'Battle' and 'Conflict' listings also contains huge spoilers in terms of who fight who and when. Again, the list is in the order of which they appear in the comic so when you start seeing unfamiliar names, just move along.
Okay, you should be good to go! Again, if you're a new fan, the best option would be to stop reading my site and go enjoy the series as it was intended to be by the author but I know how exciting it is to learn more about your favorite characters so enjoy! Just keep the above in the back of your head and you'll be okay!
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