Nico Robin
Nico Robin | |
---|---|
One Piece character | |
![]() Nico Robin as illustrated by Eiichiro Oda | |
First appearance | One Piece chapter 114: "The Course" (Weekly Shōnen Jump No. 52, 1999) |
Created by | Eiichiro Oda |
Portrayed by | Emiya Ichikawa II (Super Kabuki II: One Piece) |
Voiced by | Yuriko Yamaguchi, Anzu Nagai (young) (original) Veronica Taylor (4Kids Entertainment) Stephanie Young, Jad Saxton (young) (Funimation) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Nico Robin[Jp 1] |
Aliases | Devil Child[Jp 2] Ms. All-Sunday[Jp 3] |
Relatives | Nico Olvia[Jp 4] (mother) |
Affiliations | Baroque Works (formerly) Revolutionary Army (formerly) Straw Hat Pirates (currently) |
Age | 28 (debut) 30 (after the timeskip) |
Devil Fruit | Hana-Hana (Flower-Flower) Fruit[Jp 5] |
Bounties | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nico Robin (ニコ・ロビン, Niko Robin), otherwise known as "Devil Child", is a fictional character in the One Piece franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. The character made her first appearance in the 114th chapter of the series, which was first published in Japan in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on November 22, 1999.
In the series, Robin is introduced as an antagonist, but eventually becomes the seventh member of the Straw Hat Pirates crew, captained by Monkey D. Luffy. Acting as the group's archaeologist and historian, Robin is a Devil Fruit user who possess the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit, allowing her to sprout replicas of her limbs, and later her entire body, from any surface. As the only survivor of the island of Ohara, Robin is the only known living person in the world of One Piece with the ability to read the ancient stones called Poneglyphs, something considered threatening by the World Government, which forbids the practice.
Robin has become extremely popular and a breakout character in anime and manga fandom. She has also appeared in several adaptations based on the manga, including the anime television series in which she is voiced by Yuriko Yamaguchi and Anzu Nagai as a child in the original Japanese language, as well as by Veronica Taylor and Stephanie Young and Jad Saxton as a child in the English versions. She has also become a popular subject of cosplay, causing a trend in Japan where women attempted to replicate her iconic costumes.
Concept and creation
[edit]The character of Nico Robin was created by manga artist Eiichiro Oda, the author of the manga series One Piece,[5] and she made her first appearance in its 114th chapter, titled "The Course", which was first published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on November 22, 1999.[6] As a fan of film director Quentin Tarantino, Oda stated that he used as a source of inspiration for Robin's design the character of Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (1994), one of Tarantino's most famous films.[7][8] According to Oda, Robin has her birthday on February 6, and is 6.2 feet tall which is around 188 cm.[9] When asked by a fan what the nationalities of the members of the Straw Hat Pirates would be if One Piece was set in the real world, Oda replied that Robin would be Russian.[10] Robin was a later addition to the story and Robin and Franky are the only crew members who did not appear in the original concept art for the Straw Hats. However there was a male member who was a botanist, which may allude to Robin’s Devil Fruit power.[11]
Nico Robin, a character from "One Piece," is of the Oharan race. She is the only survivor of the Ohara Island's destruction, known for its scholars. In the world of "One Piece," races can vary widely, and the Oharans were known for their knowledge and expertise in archaeology.
Abilities
[edit]Robin ate the Flower-Flower Fruit,[Jp 5] a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows her to sprout duplicates of any of her body parts from any surface within range.[12] The number of duplicates she can create appears to be unlimited, so long as they are within range. Usually, when she uses her powers, she crosses her arms and makes an "X" shape across her chest, though it's shown that she does not necessarily need to do so to use her abilities.
She can sprout her duplicate body parts from her own body, inanimate surfaces, and even from other people's bodies.[13] She can even sprout duplicate body parts on top of other duplicate body parts.[14] She maintains full control of her duplicated limbs and can perceive sights and sounds remotely through duplicate eyes and ears.[15][16]
Robin can create entire clones of herself and even sprout gigantic-sized limbs.[17][18]
Appearances
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/43/Nico_Robin_anime.png/130px-Nico_Robin_anime.png)
In One Piece
[edit]Being raised in Ohara,[Jp 6] home of the world's oldest and largest library, Nico Robin becomes an archaeologist at the age of eight.[19] At some point she gains the power of the Paramecia-type Flower-Flower Fruit, which allows her to have temporary copies of parts of her body, including her eyes and ears, which spring up on surfaces near her.[20][21] Behind her teachers' backs, she acquires from them the outlawed knowledge of how to translate the ancient stones called Poneglyphs,[Jp 7] which are scattered around the world. She comes to share their goal of finding the elusive Real Ponegliff,[Jp 8] which is said to tell the world's lost history.[22] However, the World Government finds out about these efforts and sends a battlefleet to stop them. Only Robin escapes the devastating attack that claims the lives of the island's entire population, including that of her mother, Nico Olvia.[23]
Given the epithet "Devil Child" by the World Government,[24] traumatized, and with a bounty on her head, Robin lives a life on the run, unable to trust anyone.[25] To survive, she cooperates with various pirates and other outlaws. She eventually joins Sir Crocodile's Baroque Works group, using the codename Ms. All-Sunday and becoming their vice-president.[26] After Baroque Works falls apart, with nowhere else to go, she tags along with the Straw Hat Pirates and grows so fond of them that she gives herself up to the Government in order to save them.[27] After they discover her real reason for leaving, the Straw Hat Pirates declare open war against the Government to get her back. She realizes that she has finally found people who will never sell her out and becomes part of the crew.[28]
Two years later, Robin further hones her Flower-Flower Fruit powers to the point where she can create a full-bodied duplicate of herself and even wings composed entirely of arms and hands that allow her to fly.[29] After Robin was unsuccessfully captured in Wano by CP0, the Government's direct intelligence agency after another Cipher Pol organization CP9 had already failed to execute her two years prior, her bounty was raised to over seven times her previous bounty, from 130,000,000 to
930,000,000.[30][31]
In other media
[edit]In the anime television series adaptation of the manga, Robin's voice actress is Yuriko Yamaguchi.[32] In the 4Kids Entertainment English adaptation, her Baroque Works codename was changed to Miss Sunday and she is voiced by Veronica Taylor who portrays her with a country accent.[33] In the Funimation English adaptation, her voice is supplied by Stephanie Young.[34] In addition to the anime, Robin is featured in many of the adaptations based on the One Piece media franchise, including films,[35] video games,[36] and others as well.[37] Emiya Ichikawa II performed as Robin in a kabuki play inspired by One Piece that ran at Tokyo's Shinbashi Enbujō throughout October and November 2015.[38][39] Robin has also appeared as a playable character in the crossover fighting games Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars.[40][41]
Reception
[edit]Popularity
[edit]Nico Robin is one of the most popular characters in the One Piece series.[42] Nico Robin has earned her place among anime audiences for many reasons.[43] Ever since her debut, she has become a popular subject of cosplay,[44] causing a trend in which female fan readers of the series attempt to replicate the various iconic looks of the character that have been shown over the years.[45] In 2013, website Tokyo Otaku Mode held a poll asking anime and manga fans via Facebook which characters they would most want to date; Robin was ranked in 2nd place.[46] In 2014, Goo Ranking conducted a poll amongst NTT customers by asking for their favorite female and male black-haired anime characters, with Robin ranking in 6th place out of the top 15 females.[47]
Critical response
[edit]Reviewing One Piece, Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network (ANN) said that Robin "watches everything with quiet, amused detachment", while also noting how Robin's store of knowledge is "steadily growing and she is starting to really put things together".[48] Reviewing the 278th episode of the anime, Sam Leach of ANN commented that Robin's "big 'I want to live!' scene is one of the most cathartic moments you'll ever find in fiction".[49]
Sean Cubillas of Screen Rant wrote, "Based on aesthetics alone, Nico Robin is an easy fan favorite for her dark, mysterious design and attitude. Her backstory more than skyrocketed her to legendary status, as it brought tears to everyone's eyes and expanded the series' scope and sense of politics. It didn't take long after that for the series to truly immortalize her."[42] In another article, Cubillas stated, "Nico Robin, at first sight, is clearly one of the edgier characters of the group. She has a sharp stare to most and often carries herself with a mysterious demeanor. Her introduction into the series as an elite assassin and vice president to an underground organization likely hasn't helped. Fortunately for her, she's taken to the Straw Hats to lighten her demeanor and, in recent stories, has become more of a mother figure to the crew. However, just because she's nicer, doesn't mean that she doesn't have the same, dark imagination. Whenever something dangerous or mysterious happens to the crew, Nico Robin always comes up with a darker scenario that dials up everyone's tensions further."[50]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Penber, Rei (2022-08-29). "One Piece 1058: Crocodile And Mihawk Return". Game Rant. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ^ Oda, Eiichiro (2002). "201 Nico Robin". Hope!!. One Piece. Vol. 22. Shueisha. ISBN 1-4215-2430-9.
- ^ Oda, Eiichiro (2007). "435 You Have My Sympathies". You Have My Sympathies. One Piece. Vol. 45. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-4215-3461-9.
- ^ Oda, Eiichiro (2015). "801 Opening Speech". Opening Speech. One Piece. Vol. 80. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-42-159024-0.
- ^ Markle, Christian (February 5, 2022). "One Piece: What Is Nico Robin's Association With the Devil?". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Oda, Eiichiro (April 2000). "Chapter 114: The Course". One Piece. Vol. 13: It's All Right!!!. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-872863-7.
- ^ Coutinho, Leandro (November 1, 2020). "10 Curiosidades sobre One Piece". Conteúdo de Nerd (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ McCullough, Hayley (February 12, 2022). "One Piece Meets Pulp Fiction in Adrenaline-Pumping Fan Art Mashup". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Oliveira, Willian (April 18, 2019). "Estas são as idades e alturas corretas de cada membro dos Chapéus de Palha em One Piece". Critical Hits (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Koide, Jamie (October 1, 2015). "One Piece characters' nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions". SoraNews24. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Eichiro Oda (September 16, 2020). One Piece Magazine Vol. 10. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-102406-3.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 19 Chapter 170 (p. 7) and Episode 106.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 30 Chapter 283 and Episode 185.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 28 Chapter 264 (p. 8) and Episode 174.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 26 Chapter 237 and Episode 153.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 50 Chapter 486 and Episode 378.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 64 Chapter 629 (p. 6-7) and Episode 547.
- ^ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 65 Chapter 643 and Episode 563.
- ^ Mazzuca, Anthony (August 9, 2020). "One Piece: 10 Weird Facts You Never Knew About Robin". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Cubillas, Sean (September 11, 2020). "One Piece: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Nico Robin". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Valdez, Nick (June 16, 2019). "One Piece Finally Reveals Robin and Chopper's Devil Fruits". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "Nico Robin: The Archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates". Officialroms. 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ Ababou, Hicham (November 7, 2020). "One Piece: Nico Robin's 9 Best Quotes, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Epps, De'Angelo (December 4, 2019). "One Piece: 5 Nico Robin Costumes We Loved (And 5 She Should Never Wear Again)". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Sockol, Benjamin (January 14, 2022). "Nico Robin Still Has One Piece's Most Heartbreaking Backstory". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Suliman, Omar (August 22, 2020). "One Piece: Every Member Of Baroque Works, Ranked According To Their Bounty". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Wallace, Winston (June 19, 2020). "One Piece: 6 Times Nico Robin Was Wrong (& 5 Times She Was Smarter Than We Thought)". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Wiedenheft, Grant (October 1, 2020). "One Piece: 5 Ways Nico Robin Changed Since She Was Introduced (& 5 Ways She Stayed The Same)". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Jangarélli, Márcio (2021). "One Piece: As principais Akuma No Mi (Frutas do Diabo) que você precisa conhecer". Legião dos Heróis (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Mckenzie, Kashief (2021-10-16). "One Piece: Why Does the World Government Want Robin So Badly?". CBR. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ^ Penber, Rei (2022-08-29). "One Piece 1058: Crocodile And Mihawk Return". Game Rant. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ^ Valdez, Nick (May 8, 2021). "One Piece Stars Celebrate Their Vaccinations With Straw Hat Crew Photo". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Gali, Namish (February 27, 2019). "Veronica Taylor shares life experiences with fans". The Polytechnic. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Nealy, Devin (June 7, 2020). "One Piece: 10 Times The English Dub Was Actually Better Than The Original". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Morrissy, Kim (April 1, 2019). "One Piece 20th Anniversary Special Shows Never-Before-Seen Bloopers". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (January 30, 2013). "One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2's 4-Minute Promo Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Castrejón, Jesús Zamora (May 28, 2021). "¿Ya conoces Cross Epoch? Te presentamos el manga crossover entre Dragon Ball y One Piece". Códio Espagueti (in Spanish). Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 28, 2015). "One Piece Kabuki Play's Lead Actor Plays Luffy, Hancock, & Shanks". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (August 28, 2015). "YUZU Member Yujin Kitagawa Performs One Piece Kabuki Play's Theme Song". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "キャラクター紹介 ONE PIECE" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ ジャンプアルティメットスターズファーストアルティガイド [Jump Ultimate Stars First Ultimate Guide] (in Japanese). Shueisha. 2006. p. 68. ISBN 4-08-779392-3.
- ^ a b Cubillas, Sean (May 23, 2021). "One Piece: Each Main Character's Most Iconic Scene". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ "Nico Robin Popularity: The Most Popular One Piece Character?". 2023-09-07. Archived from the original on 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ "『ONE PIECE(ワンピース)』の女性キャラクターの美しいコスプレ特集! ナミ、ニコ・ロビン、ボア・ハンコックなど人気キャラクターをピックアップ". animate Times. September 6, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Sammut, Mark (January 13, 2020). "One Piece: 10 Amazing Nico Robin Cosplays That Look Just Like The Anime". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (December 6, 2013). "Otaku from 100 Countries Voice Which Characters They Want to Date". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Dong, Bamboo (May 5, 2014). "Japanese Fans Rank Their Favorite Black-Haired Anime Characters". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Silverman, Rebecca (March 23, 2013). "One Piece GN 66 - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ Leach, Sam (December 15, 2017). "The 10 Best Episodes of One Piece". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Cubillas, Sean (May 23, 2021). "One Piece: 10 Funniest Running Gags, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Nico Robin's bio at One Piece's official website (in Japanese)
- Nico Robin cosplay (in Japanese)
- One Piece characters
- Comics characters introduced in 1999
- Female characters in anime and manga
- Fictional characters who can duplicate themselves
- Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder
- Martial artist characters in anime and manga
- Vigilante characters in comics
- Fictional archaeologists
- Fictional historians
- Fictional sole survivors
- Fictional sea pirates
- Fictional female pirates
- Fictional female assassins
- Fictional genocide survivors
- Fictional orphans
- Orphan characters in anime and manga
- Shapeshifters in comics