Okay, by now we’ve all seen the One Piece live-action, and even the normies know who Usopp is. But the real ones are waiting for the least combative member of the Straw Hat Pirates to finally become God Usopp. And hey, evolution of characters is kind of a given in Shonen franchises such as One Piece. But where this series excels is giving all of its members well deserved characterizations, and Usopp is no exception. 

But wait, what is God Usopp? Where did the term come from and is Usopp actually a God now? Well, no. God Usopp is basically a moniker that he earns following an incident during the Dressrosa arc, where he saved a bunch of people in Episode 678 of the anime. However, a hole in the roof bathed Usopp in light, right when he was done with helping everyone, leading people into believing that Usopp was a celestial God that had come to save them. So, they literally started calling him ‘God Usopp’, and the name just stuck! 

However, as silly as it all sounds, there is actually a really heartwarming sentiment behind it all. When you look at Usopp’s history, starting from the very beginning of the series, you could never imagine that the once cowardly ‘boy who cried wolf’ would end up becoming revered as Pseudo-Deity, all thanks to his heroics. It’s amazing because Usopp’s journey with the Straw  Hat Pirates is varied and interesting, so he’s come such a long way from the scared child he used to be. Usopp was one of the weakest characters starting out, even with his unique skills. And now, he’s God Usopp.

So, yes, while the term does come from a misunderstanding, it isn’t hard to imagine his power nearing those of a God in the first place. After all, Monkey D. Luffy picked him out personally, to be one of the very first members of his crew. So clearly, Usopp always had the potential. But how did he go from ‘One-Shot’ Usopp to God Usopp? What are the full details of that God incident? Well, let’s break it down in yet another segment of Lore Analysis.  

Usopp: The Boy Who Cried ‘Pirates!’

You know what I like about Usopp the most? It’s that, out of everyone else, he happens to be the most relatable? Realistic? Well, as much as one can be when they happen to be a character in One Piece. But genuinely, the fact that Usopp doesn’t start out as either the plucky ‘I can do it all!’ characters like Luffy, or extremely renowned from the beginning like Roronoa Zoro, is what adds nuance to his character. 

After all, Usopp was just a poor kid from Syrup Village, who made up far fetched stories of Pirates that people disregarded as the ramblings of an attention seeker. In truth, he was screaming about Pirates coming in, because he wanted to give his ailing mother hope. You see, his father was Yasopp, one of the crew members under the great Red Haired Shanks. And with his father out on the sea, it was just Usopp and his mother trying to get by. And when she passed away, he continued the charade, now completely alone in this world. 

But his antics did make one of the villagers pretty happy. And that was Kaya, one of the richest people in all of Gecko Islands, but left frail and sickly after her parents also passed away in a shipwreck. To her, Usopp was a source of normalcy, a friend in a world where she was left being coddled by everyone. He regaled her with tales of ‘Usopp Pirates’, where Usopp was the captain of his own Pirate Crew and led them on grand adventures. But really, Usopp himself was nothing special, not even to himself. 

However, this was all before he met Luffy during the Syrup Village arc and everything with Kuro, head of the Black Cat Pirates, went down. This is where Usopp finally found his strength, and raised that staying where he has been won’t be enough. So, when Luffy offered to have him on as the Sniper for the Straw Hats, he said yes. And, well, the rest is history.  

God Usopp: From A Coward To The King Of Snipers

Okay, let’s elaborate a little bit. What is important to remember here is that while we call Usopp a ‘coward’, much of that fear played up as comedic relief and not as, you know, an actual issue. At least, not later on in the story. Because that’s when we see Usopp start to catch up to all the amazing people that are his peers. He’s still funny, and adds a nice light hearted dynamic to the Straw Hat Pirates, but he isn’t scared to do the right thing.

Which, I guess he never was. Usopp is often overwhelmed when going against people one on one, but that’s also what makes him such a good long shot. When they say Usopp is one of the best Snipers to ever live, that is very true. He later goes on to become one of the Senior Officers of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, even amassing his own hefty bounty and gaining a Haki of all things. Mind you, he did all of that without ever consuming a Devil Fruit. Like, he is no joke, not anymore.

So, Usopp’s growth and evolution in the series? It’s pretty legit. However, it was the instance in Dressrosa that really cemented his identity of being God Usopp. As we all know, the Dwarves of Dressrosa were being held under the tyranny of Donquixote Doflamingo, the captain of the Donquixote Pirates. And so, the dwarves captured Usopp and Nico Robin, at the behest of their King. However, the two learn that both Dwarves and the Pirates had the same goal, which was to destroy Smile’s factory. This? Usopp knew he could use it to his advantage. 

And so, Usopp basically lied to the Dwarves, claiming to be related to Norland The Liar, a figure that the Dwarves idolized, essentially gaining their trust. From here on, it was your usual tale of espionage and infiltration, with Usopp getting knocked out at one point. But as the main battle goes on, Usopp realizes he needs to be brave and face the conflict head on, to help the Dwarves that trusted him and were calling out for help. However, having fought Sugar and Trebol, they actually ended up defeating him and force feeding him a fatal pepper known as Tatabasco. But this is what ended up turning the tide in Usopp’s favor. 

Under the influence of the Tatabasco, Usopp becomes downright frightening, like a God angered in His wrath. He turns and attacks the perpetrators, taking them all out in a frenzy, with no care of what property damage he had inflicted. At one point, he literally shoots a hole through the roof, letting the light from outside stream onto him and bathe him in an almost divine glow. Once the bad guys got defeated, all the people of Dressrosa became human once more, and the first thing they saw was a vengeful but triumphant Usopp, their savior.

From there, God Usopp was born, forever being regarded as the Deity that came down from the Heavens to help the poor folk of Dressrosa. So, surprisingly enough, being regarded as a God is not just one of Usopp’s tall tales. This one really happened!