Fans love to ship the characters of One Piece together. Here’s a look at some reasons why Luffy would be better with Boa, and why it should be Nami.

Per creator Eiichiro Oda’s admission, romance and shipping are not huge focuses for One Piece. While the series may not thrive on the idea of “romance,” that doesn’t mean that there aren’t signs. As the series has gone on, it teased some possible relationships between its main cast, especially for protagonist Monkey D. Luffy.

This made a lot of sense for viewers, considering that most main characters have a possible afterword for their respective series’ conclusion. Additionally, fans dreamed for years about who he would be spending those after years with. As of this writing, there are two consistent prospects for Luffy’s love life: the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, and the Straw Hats’ navigator and resident Cat Burglar, Nami. Though it is currently unknown which of the two could be Luffy’s Pirate Queen, both have equal arguments for why they could end up with him romantically later on.

Updated On March 21st, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This list about Boa Hancock and Nami as potential love interests for Monkey D. Luffy has been updated to adhere to CBR’s current publication standards.

Why Luffy Should End Up With Boa Hancock

Boa Hancock Has The Power To Stand Side By Side With Him

Pros
Cons

Boa is a fellow captain
Boa is committed to her people first

Boa is stronger than Nami
Luffy is too dense to notice Boa’s love

Boa is in love with Luffy
Boa’s people might disapprove

Boa is a charming foil to Luffy
Boa lacks Luffy’s sense of adventure

One easy thing that could help Boa Hancock stand alongside Luffy, in the end, is the pure fact that she has the strength to stand alongside him during battle. Boa Hancock is from Amazon Lily, a community of Amazonian women whose leadership and social standings are based purely on strength.

As the island’s ruler, Boa Hancock is the strongest of them all, bolstering both the Love-Love Fruit and amazing Haki. If these two were to get together, they’d be the ultimate power couple.

Boa Hancock Can Be The Empress To His Emperor

Status may not mean a whole lot to Luffy and the gang, but it can still give a slight edge to Boa Hancock. While Luffy pursued a career to become Pirate King, he also found himself within the current discussion of becoming an Emperor.

With that title in mind, aesthetic symmetry dictates that the Pirate Empress Boa would be his perfect match. Whether they’re coming together in name or just decide to combine their kingdoms in the future, it’s easy to see Luffy and Boa comfortably sitting on twin thrones.

Boa Hancock Shares Luffy’s Distaste For Nobles

Assuming Boa Hancock ends up leaving Amazon Lily, there are at least a couple of places she could go, especially if they end up leading her to Luffy.

One of the major things that had Boa Hancock fall for Luffy in the first place was discovering his assault on Saint Charloss. Adding on top of his empirical selflessness, Boa Hancock found perhaps the one man in the world that she could finally trust, opening up an entire flood gate of emotions.

Luffy, on the other hand, has grown to hate nobles and spoiled people ever since he was just a child and can find a kinship with Boa Hancock because of it. Now, in the Final Saga, the entire world order of nobles might finally come crashing down, and if Luffy helps make it happen, Boa Hancock couldn’t be happier.

Boa Hancock Would Feel Like the Chi-Chi To Luffy’s Goku

Much like other Shonen Jump anime of its age, One Piece took a lot after the seminal battle series, Dragon Ball. This included everything from Akira Toriyama’s hunt for a MacGuffin to the spirited and gluttonous main character.

Another similarity that the two series could share could be having its main characters marry a warrior princess of a strange land. Goku began a lifelong relationship with Chi-Chi during Dragon Ball‘s early years, and Luffy could reflect this with Boa Hancock. Himbo anime characters like Goku and Luffy often annoy the people around him, but gracious women like Chi-Chi and Boa Hancock have more than enough patience for it all.

Boa Hancock Understands Luffy As A Fellow Captain

While Nami may be a comrade on Luffy’s ship, Boa Hancock is a colleague of his as a pirate captain. To an extent, that means that these two do share some ambition and history as leaders.

From an aesthetic point of view, this shows some kinship that Nami can only be a stranger unless she starts her crew after the series. If there was going to be a grand pirate empire in the future, it could be lead by these two experienced captains. They also know what it’s like to be a high-tier captain, with Luffy now being one of the Four Emperors and Boa Hancock being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea for a time.

Boa Hancock Harbors Actual Romantic Feelings For Luffy

Boa Hancock might’ve fallen for Luffy in One Piece, but who else might capture her heart in other anime universes?

While there is a level of chemistry between Luffy and Nami, it leaned more towards friendship than it does romance. Neither Luffy nor Nami made any romantic overtures to each other in the manga or anime filler so far, and it’s unlikely that they will in the future, either.

Meanwhile, Boa Hancock is head over heels for Luffy and makes no qualms about it. She even worries about falling under Love Sickness, an ailment she believed led to the death of the other Empresses. Even if Luffy is a dense ahodere who can’t easily recognize romantic signals, Boa’s genuine love for him is still a big step in the right direction to make the Luffy/Boa ship set sail.

Boa Hancock Doesn’t Care About His Past Or His Heritage

When Boa found out about Luffy’s history and namely his heritage, she didn’t bat an eyelash, believing fully in the man she knew. Boa did not even mind that Luffy was the offspring of the world’s worst criminal, Monkey D. Dragon.

The actions of his father didn’t reflect on Luffy, nor did they wipe away all of the good Luffy had done. For someone like Boa, who is prone to harboring grudges, particularly against men, her wiping the slate clean for Luffy is a big deal and shows what a good heart she has as Luffy’s friend, ally, and potential lover.

Why Luffy Should End Up With Nami

Nami Has The Brains To Help Cover For Luffy’s Faults

Pros
Cons

Nami is part of Luffy’s crew
Nami shows no interest in love

Nami loves adventure, too
Nami finds Luffy annoying

Nami is smart
Nami can’t fight alongside Luffy

Nami calls Luffy out on his bad behavior
Nami cares more about theft and money

While Boa Hancock has a clear edge in power, Nami more than makes up for things with brains. People say that opposites attract, and that typically means making up for the weaknesses of one’s significant other. Luffy has plenty of strength, but his greatest weakness has always been his intellect. Nami, compared to him, is a scientist/world-class thief.

On a practical level, Nami has the street smarts necessary for maintaining a good lifestyle after Luffy becomes Pirate King. At a more macro level, Nami has academic knowledge that can more than compensate for Luffy’s real-world gaps. It’s an amusing blend of brains vs brawn that the Luffy/Boa ship doesn’t have.

Nami Helps Luffy Command His Ship & Is His Right-Hand Woman

Nami has used her skills and weapons to defeat various powerful opponents, often in challenging battles.

While Boa Hancock may sit as an Amazonian empress, her status does not mean much to Luffy, who openly dismisses any such authority. However, if there’s one figurehead that he can’t ignore, it’s the person truly running the show on the Thousand Sunny. Luffy runs the crew through conceptual input, simply saying “Yes” or “No” to general ideas for the adventure.

Nami comes in to make those plans happen, providing direct orders to every member of the crew to get everyone, on and off the ship, headed in the right direction. While Luffy and Boa could be a power couple in the future, he and Nami are already one today. In a way, Nami is like a stern older sister for the Straw Hats, and that rowdy pirate crew definitely needs such a figure.

Nami And Luffy Have A Fated Partnership

While there are some personal similarities between Luffy and Boa, the story of One Piece subtly established the idea that he and Nami are just meant to be. Early in the series, Luffy and Nami happened to lock eyes after getting caught up in a pirate raid.

Since then, the series has provided plenty of screen time of the two being together, at least, in comparison to the other Straw Hats. Whether it’s Arlong Park, Skypeia, or Punk Hazard, Luffy and Nami often find themselves together during an adventure.

Nami Is Closer To Luffy’s Age

Small age gaps are negligible when it comes to shipping, but it’s a little steeper when it comes to shipping Luffy and Boa. Boa Hancock is 31 years old in the story, twelve years older than Luffy’s 19.

On the other hand, Nami is just 20 years old after the time skip. It’s difficult to gauge romances in anime by just using age difference, but Nami is closer to Luffy’s age group, and that is certainly a relevant point to consider in terms of their compatibility.

Nami Has A Far Deeper History With Luffy, Having Known Him For Longer

Nami hasn’t eaten any Devil Fruit, but if she did, she should consider the best fruits for her skills—such as the Op-Op Fruit or the More-More Fruit.

Nami has known Luffy longer, something Boa can’t compete with. To be fair, Boa Hancock was close to Luffy over the time-skip, which is longer than Luffy’s adventure with the Straw Hats. However, much of that time had his training in isolation.

Meanwhile, Luffy has known Nami longer than most people in the crew. Additionally, Nami was one of the first people that he ever got to see after he first left his hometown. This means that these two shared plenty of adventures and tears, developing a deep relationship that would be hard for Boa Hancock to keep up with.

Nami Isn’t Afraid Of Telling Luffy When He’s Acting Foolishly

One of the downsides of being with Boa is she is too in love with Luffy. This resulted in her forgiving him of every single one of his faults. Nami, meanwhile, never hesitated to let Luffy know when he’s acting foolish.

Nami isn’t above strangling him for his clownish antics. Though that may be extreme, it is often necessary when Luffy’s thick-headedness is considered, and Nami calling out Luffy’s silly behavior is part of her big-sister persona. Luffy would benefit from having someone willing to help keep his impulses in check, even if he’d prefer a carefree life.

Nami Has The Utmost Faith Luffy Will Keep Her Safe

There’s something to be said in having the utmost faith in someone. While Boa has trust in Luffy as well, Nami’s is on a different level. Boa is capable of handling herself in a fight, while Nami often has to believe in Luffy’s skill to keep her safe.

That sort of trust does not come easily, especially with how often Nami scolds Luffy. However, she did show her faith in him on several occasions. A few examples are when they were going up the beanstalk together or that she often cries out his name when she’s in trouble.