In the earlier seasons of One Piece viewers might struggle to find a character with whom they can relate. Zoro is too single-minded and driven in his motivations to be truly relatable, although a wonderful character. Nami, is a borderline sociopath with her ability to compartmentalize her trauma and what she must do to stay alive, which while admirable, is not something that the average fan has gone through. Luffy is more easy-going yet intense than any human that viewers are likely to have met, plus his body is made of rubber. However, in the Orange Town Arc, there are a few background characters introduced for a few moments of levity that are the most real characters introduced in the story so far.
One Piece follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy on his quest to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates. One of the first few Arcs is the Orange Town Arc, at this point in time Luffy has recruited Zoro and in the arc recruits Nami to his crew, sort of. They do not yet have a ship of their own but are well on their way. First Luffy and Zoro must help Nami deal with Buggy the Clown and his renowned crew.
Who are the Relatable Characters?
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While Luffy is fighting with Buggy, both of whom possess Devil Fruit powers, much of Orange town is destroyed. Some of this is due to their fight, some is due to Buggy’s prior usage of Buggy Balls, and some of this is due to the various other side fights that occurred. As a result of this destruction, the building upon which the pirate crew was standing was also eventually demolished. This leaves the crew more or less in tatters and scattered among the debris. Buggy’s first and second mate sit up and engage in a round of banter that is common in anime but not likely to be what any given individual would actually say in the real world. For example, the average person is incapable of holding a fully grown lion with one hand in front of them as a meat shield.
Later after a particularly vicious blow from Buggy to Luffy, the scene briefly cuts to three of Buggy’s crew laying sprawled in debris. One begins to ask questions while another cowers. The third tells his friend to pretend to be knocked out because if they get involved in this fight they’re sure not to make it out alive. These three pirates do not get names, but appear again later saying similar things. Intended to just give the audience a chuckle, they also give the audience a chance to remember what they would do, rather than what they wish they would do if they were actually there.
Why are They Relatable?
In anime, particularly this one, people are unusually strong and brave. Arguably they may be more stubborn than they are brave but the end result is the same. Even ordinary people stand up in situations where they are extremely out-classed and out-gunned. This happens only two arcs later in One Piece during the Arlong Palace Arc. The townspeople are ready to fight Arlong to the death. While this is admirable and something that people would love to think that they are capable of, it is extremely unlikely.
It is far more likely that a regular human would be unwilling to stand and fight against such immeasurable odds. And these three extras perfectly encapsulate a far more reasonable and rational approach to the situation than can be found elsewhere in the show. Especially because the fight that they are choosing not to join into is between one man who can cut himself into tiny parts and control each independently, and another man who has proven himself nigh physically invincible due to the rubbery and elastic nature of his body.
What regular human could possibly stand against beings like that? The blow that demolished their building and left them sprawled in the rubble was caused by Luffy turning into a balloon and bouncing a massive explosive cannonball back at them. Even at peak conditions, what could they hope to achieve against something so inhuman as that?
Summary
A brief moment of levity in the middle of an intense fight, and amongst other emotionally filled anecdotes certainly accomplished its goal. But also it introduced three truly human characters in an otherwise incredibly unrealistic cast. Were these three to take a larger role in the show as a whole it would likely be an incredibly boring story. It is far more enjoyable to watch extraordinary people live their extraordinary lives than it is to watch completely average people be normal.
That being said, the juxtaposition reminds the viewers just how extraordinary the protagonists really are, by showing them characters who behave the way a truly normal person would in such outlandish situations. By being the most relatable characters in the show they create a sense of scale that, especially so early in the show, is extremely important.