LUFFY SCAR

A true legend in the Otaku universe, Luffy has conquered the hearts of fans thanks to his unshakable desire to become the next Pirate King. Able to swell his body and stretch it with the power of his devil fruit, he has another physical characteristic that raises many questions : his scar.

Is it a birthmark that he has always had ? Was it a battle wound he suffered during a battle or are we just talking about a scrape that he would have gotten by injuring himself ? You will have understood, the objective of the day is to answer clearly the question : how did Luffy get his scar ?

Let’s start now !

How did Luffy get his scar ?

Do you know exactly how did Luffy get his scar ?

Actually, Luffy has two scars, the first one is under his eye. It was a scar that Luffy gave himself to show Shanks that he was serious about getting on board. It happened when Luffy was still just a kid.

Located just below his left eye, it is very fine and follows the curves of his eye. Two perpendicular lines cross it, reminiscent of marks left by stitches. This mark on Luffy’s face is present in the beginning of the series. It was therefore not acquired during his adventure to become the next Pirate King and dates from his past in the fishing village of Fuschia on East Blue. Like Naruto who wears cat whiskers, this is a physical peculiarity specific to our favorite hero.

How Luffy got his scar :

The origin of this scar dates back to his childhood when Luffy wanted at all costs to join Shanks pirate crew. In order to prove his bravery and try to impress his idol, he took a knife and stuck it in his cheek. Even if the Red Hair pirates worried about him, he did not join their crew in the end. However, Monkey D. Luffy earned their respect as well as a lifelong scar under his eye.

How did Luffy get his scar on his chest ?

The second scar on Luffy’s body is located at the level of his chest. Marrying a shape of a cross, it seems relatively deeper and wider than the trace he has under his eye. Besides, the scar was not present at the beginning of the adventure of the hero in the straw hat. Indeed, the origins of this brand are twofold and can be explained by two highlights in the manga.

1 – Admiral Akainu

During the Marineford arc, the death of Luffy’s brother Portgas D. Ace was so traumatic for him that he lost consciousness. Jinbei with the help of the Whitebeard pirates joined forces to try to save Luffy from Admiral Akainu.

In order to save Luffy, Jinbei  took Luffy under his arm to make him leave the place. Unfortunately the two companions were caught very quickly and it was during this encounter that this chest scar appeared. Indeed, Admiral Akainu pierced Jinbei and Luffy with a magma fist, luckily much of it was taken by Jinbei.

After this attack, Luffy was severely injured by Akainu, leaving him a huge X-shaped scar on his chest.

This attack is the official version exposed in the manga to justify the scar present on the chest of the future Pirate King.

Admiral Akainu slices Jinbei and causes an X scar at Luffy

2 – Roronoa Zoro

The second scar is Luffy’s chest scar. It was given to him by Zoro in a filler episode.

Having lost his memory, the Pirate Hunter finds himself confronted with the eater of the Gum Gum fruit. Being a fighter at heart, Zoro will do everything in his power to defeat him. It was finally during an overpowered and surprising attack that he took his captain by surprise. Zoro sliced Luffy’s chest and ended up giving Luffy an X shaped scar. This deep cut will cause the scars in the shape of a cross that Luffy wears on his stomach.

Luffy get his scar on his chest from Zoro

However this scar appeared in a non canon episode so it is not the real explanation about Monkey D. Luffy chest scar.

Luffy chest scar after Timeskip :

What episode does luffy get his scar ?

Now that you know perfectly the origin story behind Luffy scars, you’ll be able to answer all of the questions related to it. If someone ask you in what episode does luffy get his scar just answer him this :

Monkey D. Luffy got his eye scar at the beginning of One Piece, way before he started his journey as a pirate.

Luffy got his chest scar on Vol. 59, Chapter 578 and Episode 487 after trying to escape from Admiral Sakazuki.

Why does Luffy have a scar under his eye ?

Luffy got his scar under his eye by himself with the help of a knife in order to impress Shanks and his pirate crew to prove them worthy to join their crew.

Why does Luffy have a scar on his chest ?

Like we’ve said earlier, after losing consciousness after the death of his brother Jinbei took Luffy under his arm but they were quickly caught by the Admiral who dealed them a lifelong wound leaving on Luffy an X shaped chest scar.

Why scars are so important in One Piece ?

Now that we know why Luffy has two scars on his body, let’s take a closer look at the meaning they can have for this hero and more broadly in the One Piece universe.  Eiichiro Oda is an accomplished author who leaves nothing to chance in his work and the appearance of his characters is something he has carefully thought about and changed over the course of history.

1- Battle wounds teach you lessons and makes you stronger

We do think that one of the cool things that Eiichiro Oda was able to do is how he use scars as kind of a world-building motif. We’re dealing with a universe of ferocious pirates so obviously even the most meek in the world are gonna be covered in battle wounds, head to toe.

For example let’s take Luffy’s case. His scar is very interesting for two main reasons :

• First of all, it’s a cool and original way to differentiate between the pre-time skip and post time skip era. Indeed, the author could’ve just had Luffy come back after his long training with bigger muscles but the presence of a scar shows a much more significant and impacting change.

• This shows us that Luffy learned a great lesson after his first big defeat at Marineford but also that he has progressed enormously and has now learned from his mistakes.

2 – A warrior mentality

Another easily understood meaning is the scar in a pirate : the warrior mentality of its owner. There is a very low chance that a character working on a farm will have battle wounds, similarly for a hero who would be completely pacifist. By giving a scar under his eye to Luffy, Eiichiro Oda highlights his combative personality and his ability to survive against dangerous and strong opponents.

Keep also a pirate mark

Know you know the origin story of the scars that Luffy has on his chest as well as on his cheek. True distinctive signs, they bear witness to important events in the life of the pirate and show his progress during his journey.

If like us you are a fan of the hero of One Piece, we have reserved for you a whole set of goodies bearing the image of the future pirate king. Discover our collection of clothes, hoodies and phone cases without further delay and immerse yourself in the world of piracy on Grand Line alongside the captain of the Straw Hat Crew who will be the next Pirate King !