Sanji might never have become the character we know today if not for a major change before his debut. Eiichiro Oda, the author of “One Piece,” created several character designs for the Straw Hat Pirates, and all of them went through multiple revisions before they were officially introduced into the story.
Sanji’s case is a prime example of this, as the difference between his initial design and his current character is extensive.
Eiichiro Oda revealed the initial design for Sanji a few years ago, and seeing it might completely change your perspective of him. In the current version of “One Piece,” Sanji is the cook for the Straw Hat Pirates and uses a martial art heavily focused on kicks during combat. He is also one of the strongest members of the crew, often considered part of the “Monster Trio” along with Luffy and Zoro.
Sanji is the creator of the “Black Leg Style”, a martial art style centered around powerful kicks. He fights this way because he doesn’t want to damage his hands, which are crucial for a chef.
However, in Oda’s original design, Sanji did not have the cool Black Leg Style. Instead, the focus was on his pair of pistols, indicating that he was initially conceived as a gunman. He also wore a black hat with a blue ribbon, a vest over a white shirt, and a green blue around his neck.
Even his hair was black with normal eyebrows, in contrast to his current blonde hair and distinctive curled eyebrows. Clearly, the personality Oda first envisioned for Sanji was very different from what he eventually became.
Sanji is known for a few things: his perversion, his excellent cooking skills, and his devastating kicks. If his original character design had been used, he might never have acquired the latter two abilities.
As a gunman, Sanji would have used his hands extensively in combat. This would mean that he wouldn’t be opposed to using his hands in fights, which is completely opposite to the current Sanji, who protects his hands at all costs because he needs them for cooking.
Of course, Sanji’s famous attacks like Diable Jambe, Ifrit Jambe, Hell Memories, Sky Walk, and Blue Walk wouldn’t exist. Instead, he would perform tricks with his pair of pistols.
If Sanji’s original design had been kept, his character would have overlapped with another member of the Straw Hat crew, Usopp. Usopp is the crew’s sniper. If Sanji had become a gunman, there would have been two snipers in the Straw Hat crew. Meanwhile, although both Brooks and Zoro fight with swords, their personalities are distinct and don’t overlap, and Brooks also assumes the role of the musician.
Source: GameK
