Character Autopsy: Vinsmoke Sanji

This is the character autopsy, where I take a character that I adore and force them down onto the cold and metallic table and cut them open, exploring what about their character that resonates with me and how I can use it in my own writing. Today I am starting with my favourite character from my favourite show, Black Leg Sanji from One Piece.

My earliest memory of the character comes from my youth, when I was still in primary school. You see I grew up watching a show called Toasted T.V. where two hosts would segway between cartoons at one of the theme parks in the Gold Coast. One show was One Piece, the heavily censored version that changed Zoro to Zolo and the smoking cook Sanji to a Boston accented, lollipop licking pirate. It sounds childish, and I suppose that was the point, but I liked it, even had an increased appetite for lollipops for a period of time. It wasn’t the taste, just the action of sucking on a lollipop with my hands in my pockets, pretending I was him. As I grew up, I learned of the real version of the show, and the character, and he stayed treasured to me. The main reason is I always admired his dedication to a code. You see, Sanji only fights with his feet, for his hands are only for cooking and because of his beliefs, he refuses to fight women, even when it costs him. I watched him lose a fight to a weaker villain because his code would not allow him to strike her. I admire that in a character, to be so dedicated to a belief that you will not waiver from it. As a viewer it is admirable to watch and as a writer, it is the kind of character I enjoy navigating a story with. Where a basic character might engage with a problem in a certain way, a set code or beliefs restricts the characters actions, which means I either have to be creative with how they overcome it or, like Sanji does, have moments when he will not succeed, but the lack of success makes the character more relatable, more interesting. I mean, Sanji has influenced me that I even have used his feet only combat style with my own characters, such as Cree in my book Tawny and Cree.

Now, I will be the first to declare that Sanji as a character is not perfect, not that he has flaws, for he does and that is good in a character, but his creator has made changes as Sanji has grown and I think this hurts him. Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece, is a master of character development in my opinion and the way he crafts stories is one that I am constantly inspired by and wish to emulate in parts, but his choice to turn Sanji from honourable but bad with women to an outright pervert for “comedic effect” has hurt Sanji. I understand it is his character, but as a fan who has invested much of my time caring for this character and following his journey, it hurts what he has done. There is not much I can do, except complain here and hope, but considering in the last episode I watched Sanji barked like a dog while following a woman, my hope may be futile. However, something constructive I can do is in my own creative practice and the way I grow characters. I feel from Sanji I can learn the cost of turning a character comedic. There is a balance, and I am still learning to navigate that, how I can have comedic moments from serious characters. Currently I have a character who I am developing. I want my audience to take her seriously, but also, I have crafted some comedic moments featuring her that help lighten the mood between my darker scenes, but I do not want the comedic moments to take away from her character or for the audience to see her less than they should because of it. I don’t have the answers, but as I continue to write I will find the solution and I will continue to learn from the characters that I see around me.