Waifu Wednesday: Nico Robin (One Piece)
Welcome to another Waifu Wednesday where today I will be talking about one of my absolute favourite ladies in all of anime — Nico Robin. Honestly, I had convinced myself that I had already talked about Robin in a waifu review (You’re thinking of this! – Ed.) which is the only reason it’s taken me so long to finally give this special character the respect that she deserves.
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Who is Nico Robin?
Robin is a member of the Straw Hats who joins the crew after they have finally made their way into the Grand Line, the most formidable ocean in the world of One Piece, and home to some of the most strange, wonderful, and dangerous wildlife, islands, and pirates.
When we first meet Robin she goes by the name “Miss All Sunday” and she is working for a rather seedy group called Baroque Works, a criminal organisation run by, a now-former, emperor of the sea, Crocodile.
As we move through the story arc we find out that the motivation behind Baroque Works is to find one of the mysterious stone tablets known as Poneglyphs. These are said to give the location of Pluton, one of the three ancient weapons. Robin’s reason for working alongside this criminal organisation becomes clear as we learn that she is one of the only people in the world that can read the dead language of the Poneglyphs.
After the events in Alabasta, Robin sneaks her way onto the Straw Hats’ ship and demands that Luffy allow her to join the crew, as she wished for death but Luffy saved her anyway. Luffy happily welcomes her aboard, and lo and behold best girl is now a part of the Straw Hats!
Why we love Nico Robin
One Piece is a series with a world that feels so alive, and some of the most interesting parts of the series come towards the end of a story arc. It’s here that we gain information about what events have taken place in the world. Another thing that’s wonderful about the world in this series is all of the huge mysteries that are still yet to be solved! One of the biggest secrets of the Poneglyphs is why they exist, why they are where they are, and what the messages inscribed on them are.
Robin is the key to understanding everything that involves these Poneglyphs, as she is the last person alive who can read the language. What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the World Government has outlawed the study of the Poneglyphs, as it is said they contain the information of what happened in the void century — a hundred-year period that has been completely removed from history books. All of these mysteries stack up, and Robin is our only hope of finding out the truth of the world.
Lastly, Robin is an extremely tragic character and no matter how many times I rewatch the Enies Lobby arc, her backstory still hits just as hard as it did the first time. This story arc is where we find out everything about her past.
She grew up on the small island of Ohara, an island dedicated to researching history, which was permitted by the World Government. However, after the Government learned that research into the void century was being undertaken, they ordered the destruction of the entire island in the form of a Buster Call. Robin was the only one to survive the onslaught and has since been on the run from the entire world. This is why the acts of Luffy and the Straw Hats declaring war on her one true enemy, the World Government itself, meant so much to her. She had finally found friends who would fight against the world for and with her.
Why you’ll love Nico Robin
Robin is an eye-catching character from the moment she is first introduced; whether it’s her unpredictable actions or just her looks, I promise that Robin will pique your interest. The way she joins the crew is also quite hilarious and unreasonable considering her position as one of the more mature members of the Straw Hats, as she pretty much demands that Luffy take her in because he saved her.
During Robin’s big character-evolving arc, you will begin to understand why Robin is one of the most beloved characters in the series. She has been on the run from the World Government her entire life — she even had a bounty on her when she was just a child. This meant that no matter where she went, she would always get stabbed in the back by people who wanted to claim the prize on her head. She reached a point where she was wishing for death — yet Luffy’s acts of loyalty to someone he considers a friend lead her to scream out that she wants to live.
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