General

@blisshd: *sigh* u didnt read my post at all i said i myself do not count backstories because until i have their backstories im pretty much limited to the first impressions i take the first impression+backstory and see how much they've changed since u mention robin and franky outside of their arcs which would be part of the enies lobby arc they havent really changed at all im not denying there is no growth at all in the series its just not the kind i look for

[quote=kaiwatersxd]@snowdragon470 when i meant character growth i meant things outside of their respective arcs for me the only strawhat that would fit the profile would be zoro since he's put his own dream on hold to support his fellow crewmates, not much has changed with robin, brook and nami, i guess one could say usopp has changed but he's still relatively a coward also i dont count backstories as development[/quote]

Backstories do count. They give you a inside look as to how the character used to be, compared to what they are like now. That, as well as their (if any) respective arcs, help to clearly indicate just how far the characters have come. I won't say that all of the Straw Hats have received equal character development, but to say that Zoro is the only one, even if we go by your own standards, is just false. And discounting backstories is one (silly) thing, but their respective arcs as well? Really? But in the end, its a shounen, so you're still going to typically see them playing up their quirks quite often (Luffy doing something dumb, Sanji womanizing, Zoro getting lost, etc.) But at the same time, they have certainly changed.

Outside of Brook, Sanji, and Chopper, all of the crew have had significant character developments:

Luffy - Newbie pirate at the beginning with the naive yet admirable dream of becoming the Pirate King. Now he still wants that goal, but yet he's a lot more understanding of how weak he is compared to a lot of the great powers in the OP Universe, namely in the New World. The same guy who would typically rush into any situation without thinking about it, ends up being the same one who actually requested that his crew train for 2 years before entering the New World. Then there's the trauma of losing both your crew and later on your brother, and managing to overcome that. He's still the same guy at heart, but he's undeniably matured in a lot of small ways that aren't always obvious.

Nami" Her past/backstory showed us that she hates pirates (Especially the fishmen), and for good reason, considering what they had done to her. Regardless, Luffy manages to befriend her and gain her trust. Many chapters later, Nami meets two Fishmen: Hachi and Jinbe. Hachi was someone she had already met before, who had willingly went along w/ Arlong and co. to terrorize Nami's village, as well as basically have her as their own slaved navigator. Nami would have every right to hold a grudge against Hachi, but instead she chose to forgive him. Same for Jinbe, who if he felt like it, probably could've prevented the entire Arlong arc from ever happening in the first place. She bears no grudge, showing a tremendous growth in learning how to forgive those who gravely wronged you in the past.

Zoro: You already explained the gist of that one. But to go on further, this guy cares so much about Luffy and co. that he actually went to Mihawk, the man he plans on defeating, to ask him to train him. That's a pretty humiliating endeavor, but Zoro does it w/o hesitation, because like you said, his friends are much more important to him at this point.

Usopp: Not as descriptive to talk about because its of a more consistent thing, but you can see that he's gradually becoming less cowardly for sure. I'd think the first main instance of this would have to be when he went up against Luffy himself for possession of the Going Merry. Then in pretty much any situation where Usopp is needed or has to be relied upon, he pulls through. A nice recent example of this is when he knocked out Sugar, triggering the subsequent chaos that unfolded in Dressrosa.. Furthermore, he's gone from a guy that has told endless lies (Like the classic I control a 8000 man army), to a guy that is actually (Okay, some are accidental xD) making them true. I mean, the guy we always considered to be the weakest just came out of the Dressrosa Arc as "God Usopp" for crying out loud.

Robin: Extremely obvious, just look at her past, including the Alabasta Arc, to her demeanor ever since the Enies Lobby Arc concluded.

Franky: The dude was basically a thug, who wasn't utilizing his amazing shipbuilding skills at all. After the Enies Lobby Arc, you notice that as the manga continues, Franky just gets more relaxed around them, even to the point where he's arguably one of the weirdest ones on the crew. I thought he was a jackass when he was introduced, but in usual Oda fashion, he quickly got me to like him quite a bit.

Then there's a lot of secondary characters: Law, Coby, Jinbe, Smoker, Hachi, Kuzan, the list drags on.... Even a recent villain, Senor Pink, managed to display that he's much more than a simple crewmate of Dolfamingo's.

@snowdragon470: i wouldnt count backstories because until u have the characters backstories you know almost know nothing about them and i think i mentioned this is just a personal thing for me im not denying these things as growth its just not the criteria i look for i seen the robin and nami overcoming trust issues as an obvious conclusion since they spend so much time with the other crewmates

@kaiwatersxd: Not much has changed? Robin and Nami did no trust Luffy and the crew and even went as far as backstabbing them, where as now they willingly lay their lifes down for them and trust them to win. Its like saying a woman assaulted by men then comes to hate all men and few years later a man shows her how to get over her hatred and fear then calling that not character development but "overcoming backstories". The show has plenty of character development, the things you are stating ARE character development, overcoming an experience does change people they dont just go back to square one.

@snowdragon470: robin and nami had their arcs where they overcame their backstories and learned to trust but outside of that nothing much has changed with them, coby is a wonderful example of what i look forward to he's achieved his goal of wanting to join the navy, he's gotten stronger and at the same time has seen the navy isnt exactly what he thought it was yet he still strives to change it into what he's envisioned

@kaiwatersxd: What? Are we watching the same show? Robin grew to trust in her Nakama instead of doing everything herself (trusting issues shes had since a child) and even asked the crew to save her. Nami is very similar to Robin in the aspect of learning to trust her friends instead of trying to handle things on her own, Brook overcame the sadness of watching his whole crew die around him while he lived on and started sailing again with a different crew. Theres a multitude of characters that have gone character development (Ace, Law, Coby), im not sure what you are saying its not like they go back to how they were after their respective Arcs. They grow through the Arc as characters and become people you care about, not just characters that get fifteen minutes of glory never to be seen again.

@snowdragon470 when i meant character growth i meant things outside of their respective arcs for me the only strawhat that would fit the profile would be zoro since he's put his own dream on hold to support his fellow crewmates, not much has changed with robin, brook and nami, i guess one could say usopp has changed but he's still relatively a coward also i dont count backstories as development

[quote=kaiwatersxd]imo i would say its the greatest manga ever i've notice people love comedic actions series i.e one piece, HxH, to me the series is good but it isnt the best mainly because there hasnt been any real character growth in the series one minute jinbei is telling him about red dog and seconds later he forgets he was angry cause someone offered him candy....[/quote]

Nico Robin? Zoro? Brook? Nami? Usopp? Nearly all if not all of the main cast has gone through big amounts of character development, The pacing is horribly slow but you cant argue that character development is one of its strong points. Law recently went through huge character development as well. As for Jinbei he was with Luffy for two whole Arcs (Almost 20~30 episodes if not more?) thats how he went from respecting him to actually caring for him as a comrade.

EDIT: 3 whole Arcs with Jinbei if you count fishman island

[quote=kaiwatersxd]imo i would say its the greatest manga ever i've notice people love comedic actions series i.e one piece, HxH, to me the series is good but it isnt the best mainly because there hasnt been any real character growth in the series one minute jinbei is telling him about red dog and seconds later he forgets he was angry cause someone offered him candy....[/quote]

What? There's been plenty of character growth, and that includes a lot of supporting characters as well.

imo i would say its the greatest manga ever i've notice people love comedic actions series i.e one piece, HxH, to me the series is good but it isnt the best mainly because there hasnt been any real character growth in the series one minute jinbei is telling him about red dog and seconds later he forgets he was angry cause someone offered him candy....

[quote=intjmikey]the cory in the house anime though...[/quote]
Did papa filthy frank show you that anime.

One Piece is one of those series that still make me feel like little kid eagerly waiting for the next episode/chapter to come out. It's like a wine that keeps getting better as it ages. Every arc they come with more foreshadowing material and exciting twists. I also really love how in the various arcs they have temporary allies which create a lot of comedy and tag team opportunities.

[quote=avatar]I want to like one piece but I can't because of the art style. It makes me want to puke. [/quote]

Had the art style still looked like it did 13 years ago it would've been sort of understandable. The reason you might feel that way towards the art might be because the majority of the main cast are characters which were created at the end of the 90s with more or less that time's design trend in mind, which naturally would be perceived as old-fashioned or outdated.

But Oda has significantly developed his style over the years. The characters that were/are introduced post-Skypiea arc have a more "modern feel" and you can more or less notice how freely he can use his art to create things. He is very creative with designs of characters and constantly surprises you with new ones. It's also probably worth mentioning that every now and then you'll even see characters he purposely designed to look hideously ugly in a comical way.

Now, I'm a huge fan of One Piece so I might've been a tad too biased

the cory in the house anime though...

The greatest Anime that will ever be made

I want to like one piece but I can't because of the art style. It makes me want to puke.

[quote=mafu3]i put this on par with hunterxhunter
i love both anime on an equal level[/quote]

If only that butt hole would keep making chapters then yea.

i put this on par with hunterxhunter
i love both anime on an equal level

One piece carries itself well. Oda is an artist. Sadly I dont see him making anything else after one piece, it takes such a tole on his body and I wouldn't be surprised of he wont be alive to finish one piece (I cri) nothing is beating one piece this decade...because one piece will still be going.

Agreed. It makes no sense at all, how it's still going this strong when nothing has really happened.

How strong is Shanks really? What is ONE PIECE? Ughhhh. Oda will probably kick off before this finishes and we will never find out

it really is the best manga ever

we don't even know all that much about the yonko

I know. I'm curious to how everything will come together.