Oda has already revealed why Loki won't be joining the Straw Hat Pirates

In almost every new One Piece arc Eiichiro Oda introduces new characters who form a connection with the Straw Hat Pirates. In the Alabasta arc it was Vivi, and then in the Zou arc it was Morot. The trend continued with Wano Country and Egghead bows.

In Wano, Yamato appeared to join the Straw Hat Pirates, while in Egghead, it was Lilith who seemed closest to the pirate crew. At this point, One Piece fans know that Oda doesn't always get the new character to join the Straw Hats. However, they still have high hopes for Loki, who debuted in the Elbaf arc.

Loki was introduced in the Elbaf arc

Loki has become a fan favorite in a short time

• Loki possesses the power of Elbaf's legendary Devil Fruit

• Loki will probably stay in Elbaf

Loki is the son of the late King Harald, who was considered the best ruler Elbaf ever had. In addition to being benevolent, Harald was also a good fighter. In fact, he was one of the few people who rivaled Davy D. Xebec. Harald's wish was to change Elbaf and open its borders to the rest of the world. He wanted to form a friendship between the giants and the humans. For ages they had been treated as a dangerous race that only caused harm. Unfortunately, Harald was never able to realize his goal.

Elbaf's people loved Harald, which is why Loki was chained when he killed the king. At least this is the narrative pushed by the people of Elbaf, but Loki doesn't seem like a person who would murder his father. It is likely that Oda will reveal the truth about Harald's death once the God Valley flashback is over.

Despite his status, One Piece fans have warmed to Loki. They love his design, his lore, his weapon of choice, and his personality. It would be remiss not to mention that Loki shares some traits with Luffy. All of these things have made Loki a huge hit with fans, and they desperately want him to join the Straw Hat Pirates.

Loki will destroy the dynamic of the trio of monsters

Loki is stronger than Zoro and Sanji

While Loki would be a great addition to the crew, there's little chance he'll actually make it, and the reason is pretty simple – he'd ruin the entire Monster Trio dynamic. Since the East Blue Saga, the Monster Trio has consisted of Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. Together, the three have won many important matches and helped the crew overcome several obstacles. It's safe to say that without them the crew wouldn't have made it this far into the New World.

Luffy, Zoro and Sanji are all capable fighters, but they are not on the same level. Luffy is head and shoulders above the two, as evidenced by his victories over Kaido, Katakuri, Lucci and Doflamingo. Meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji are on a similar level. If Loki were to join the crew, he would instantly become the second strongest member, second only to Luffy. Although Loki hasn't fought anyone yet, there are a couple of statements that indicate his strength. It is said that only Shanks could stop Loki's advance in Elbaf. Considering Gaban was also in the land, that means Loki was stronger than him.

Another piece of evidence is that the Holy Knights tried to recruit Loki into their ranks. Shamrock presented the offer to Loki, who flatly refused to join them. These things prove that Loki is an incredible combatant who can stand against the mightiest of fighters. So, if someone like him joined the Straw Hat Pirates, that would effectively end the Monster Trio.

The only way around the problem is if Oda makes Zoro and Sanji stronger than him in the Elbaf arc. However, that would be too ruthless, as it would require both of them to be on the same level as Shanks. If they become Yonko-level fighters, Luffy would also need a massive power-up to stay ahead of them, which is why Loki won't join the Straw Hats.

One Piece

Release date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Author

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)