One Piece Nami - The Backbone Of Straw Hat Pirates

Fans got a lot more invested in Nami after the time skip, thanks to the new “bodacious” character design. But she is much more than eye candy. And with One Piece nearing its end, it’s about time anime fans started respecting one of its most underrated characters- Nami.

Throughout One Piece, Nami has proven her worth time and time again. She’s gone from a cat burglar to a weather manipulator, yet some say Eiichiro Oda halted her character development.

She’s one of the most popular One Piece characters in Japan, and it’s time Nami got the respect she deserves from the western audience as well.

The Straw Hat Pirates wouldn’t be where they are without their navigator. Although she’s part of the cowardly trio, she’s no damsel in distress. In fact, her street smarts have helped Straw Hats get out of tricky situations many times.

After a little recap of Nami’s One Piece journey, we’ll discuss what makes her one of the best shonen anime female leads.

Who Is Nami From One Piece?

Introduced as a member of the Arlong Pirates, Nami was a cat burglar looting the rich and robbing pirate ships for treasure. She was also a cartographer for the Arlong Pirates.

It was later revealed that Nami was working for the Arlong Pirates only so she could collect 100,000,000 Bellies and buy her hometown’s freedom from Arlong and his fish-men pirate crew.

While on a heist, Nami looted the Straw Hat Pirates and went to Cocoyasi Village- her hometown ruled by Arlong Pirates. Since Luffy wanted Nami to be the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, they followed her there.

After helping Nami free his hometown from the Arlong Pirates, Luffy asked Nami to join his crew. Nami agreed so that she could fulfill her dream of drawing the world’s map.

And now she was officially a Straw Hat Pirate.

For the longest time, Nami was the only female member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Now, she is one of the Senior Officers of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

And to this day, she holds the Straw Hats together.

One Piece Nami – Life Before The Straw Hats

As One Piece backstories go, Nami has one of the saddest in the series.

She is a war orphan. As revealed in the 34th episode (Reunited! Usopp Tells Nami’s True Story), Nami was left for dead in the war-stricken Oykot Kingdom. Another girl named Nojiko picked her up and hid with her in the rubble.

Once the dust settled, both the girls (Nami & Nojiko) were rescued by Bell-mere, a female Marine. Belle-mere took the girls to Cocoyasi Village, where she raised the two as her daughters.

Nami developed a love for cartography as a child.

As Belle-mere was struggling to keep things going, the Cocoyasi Village was attacked by the Arlong Pirates. They demanded a price of 100,000 Bellies/adult and 50,000 Bellies/child to let everyone live. But, Belle-mere didn’t have the money, so she sacrificed herself to protect her daughters.

Arlong shot Belle-mere in front of Nami and Nojiko.

Arlong discovered Nami’s knack for cartography. He told Nami that if she draws maps and gives him 100,000,000,000 Bellies, he would leave the village for good.

And that’s why she joined the Arlong Pirates.

However, the people of Cocyasi Village thought she betrayed them for money and started hating her.

But she kept working on her goal of freeing her village, and it eventually happened, thanks to Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro.

One Piece Nami – Appearance

One Piece Nami Child

As a child, Nami was a loud and cheerful girl who loved reading books about maps and navigation. She had short orange hair, and she would mostly wear a green sleeveless sundress.

After Arlong forcefully made her a cartographer, she got an Arlong Pirate tattoo on her left shoulder.

One Piece Nami Pre-Timeskip

Nami grew up to be a beautiful girl, but her appearance didn’t change drastically. Her orange hair was still pretty much the same length as her childhood.

She was wearing a blue and white t-shirt and a short brown skirt with brown boots when she appeared for the first time. The Arlong Pirates tattoo was hidden behind the sleeves.

But as soon as she landed back in her village, she changed into a sleeveless shirt and a black skirt, showing off her tattoo. After the Straw Hats defeated the Arlong Pirates, Nami changed her Arlong tattoo into something more personal.

Nami One Piece tattoo is an homage to Belle-mere and Genzo, two parental figures Nami looked up to while growing up.

After Nami officially became a Straw Hat and joined them as the navigator, her physical appearance stayed pretty much the same. But Nami’s outfits changed all the time. Alabasta, Enies Lobby, and Water 7 outfits were some of the best Nami outfits pre-time skip.

But, all these fade in comparison to the Nami we got to see after the 2 year time skip.

One Piece Nami Post-Timeskip

During the 2-year time skip, Nami lived on Weatheria- a sky island. There Nami improved her Clima-Tact and developed a deeper sense of how weather works in the Grand Line.

But, all her hard work got overshadowed by her new physical appearance.

While living in Weatheria, Nami let her hair grow long. The once short orange hair now reaches her lower back with bangs cut out in the front. And her outfit changed from a short skirt and t-shirt to a bikini top and blue jeans.

With just a bikini top on, Nami showed off her tiny waist and bigger breasts which turned heads.

Nami also wears a black belt around her waist, where she keeps her Clima-Tact accessories. While simps love this new Nami, true Nami OP fans will always love the original design.

One Piece Nami – Character Wiki

How Old is Nami From One Piece?

When Nami joined the Straw Hat Pirates, she was 18 years old. And then there was the 2-year time skip. So now, Nami is 20 years old. Nami’s birthday is on July 3rd, which makes her a Cancer.

What is Nami’s One Piece Height Before & After The Time Skip?

Before the 2-year time skip, Nami was 169 cm (5’6^1/2”) tall. But after the time skip in Nami’s One Piece height increased by 1 cm.

As was confirmed by Eiichiro Oda, Nami’s height after the time skip is 170 cm (5’7^1/2”). Her body measurements before the time skip were 34″-22″-34″. And after the obvious change in her physique, Oda confirmed Nami’s new body measurements as 38″-22″-34″.

What is Nami’s Bounty in One Piece?

Nami got her first bounty after Straw Hats rescued Nico Robin from Enies Lobbies. Her first bounty was 16,000,000 Bellies. Post the Dressrosa Arc, Nami’s bounty increased to 66,000,000 Bellies.

And then, after thrashing Ulti in Wano Country Arc, Nami’s Bounty reached a whopping 366,000,000 Bellies. That’s the current Nami bounty in One Piece.

One Piece Nami Voice Actors

Over the years, various actors have voiced Nami in One Piece.

Akemi Okamura and Wakana Yamazaki are the Japanese voices behind Nami. Megumi Toyoguchi also lent her voice as Nami for One Piece: Defeat Him! Pirate Ganzack OVA.

The list of voice actors is longer for the English dub. Alison Lestor, Chio Su-Ping, and Cindy Creekmore have all voiced Nami for the Odex English dub of One Piece.

In the 4Kids English dub, Kerry Williams voiced Nami, and in Funi English, Luci Christian dubbed Nami.

A live-action One Piece series is in the works in which Emily Rudd will portray the role of Nami.

One Piece Nami – Love Life & Relationship With The Crew

Who is Nami in love with? Does Nami like Luffy? Who will Nami end up with in One Piece? Fans have always questioned Nami’s love life. But the truth is that Nami has no love life.

And she isn’t looking for romance either. Nami isn’t interested in anything other than her dream and lots of money.

Eiichiro Oda announced years ago that there will be no romance between the Straw Hat Pirates.

Luffy and Nami have the strongest relationship, but it’s more of a sibling-like relationship than a romantic one. And the same goes for the relationship between Nami and Tony Tony Chopper. Chopper thinks of Nami as an older sister, while Nami is protective of Chopper like he was her younger brother.

Sanji, who is always drooling over Nami, has never been taken seriously by Nami. Instead, Nami often exploits Sanji.

Then there’s Zoro. He gets beaten up by Nami a lot, and he’s been in Nami’s debt since Loguetown. But Nami trusts Zoro with her life.

Nami’s relationship with Usopp might be the most interesting one among the Straw Hats. The two are the weakest members of the Straw Hats, but they mostly end up facing much stronger enemies. So, despite calling each other cowards, they work well together.

Nami’s favorite crew member is Nico Robin. She respects her intelligence and enjoys her company more than any other crew member.

Franky and Brook aren’t exactly in Nami’s good books. Although she respects Franky as a shipwright, Nami is also annoyed by his childish behavior.

As for Brook, he gets beat up regularly for his perverted behavior.

Finally, Nami’s relationship with the latest Straw Hat crew member, Jinbe, is one of respect. Nami and Jinbe have the utmost respect for each other, especially after Nami said she didn’t blame Jinbe or the Fish-Man species for Arlong’s actions in East Blue.

One Piece Nami – Strength, Techniques, & Skills

Although she spent half her life ripping off pirates and working with the Arlong Pirates, Nami’s fighting skills and physical strength aren’t her strong suit. Her first instinct, when faced with an enemy, is to run in the opposite direction.

That said, her agility, speed, and endurance are second to none. And, if needed, she can hold her own, as we first saw in Alabasta with her one-on-one showdown against Miss Doublefinger. But Nami’s best fight was against Kalifa.

These fights really showcased Nami’s abilities with the Clima-Tact.

Nami’s Clima-Tact Techniques

The Clima-Tact is a bo staff modified by Usopp, which lets Nami control and manipulate the weather. As Usopp and Franky improved the Clima-Tact, turning it into Perfect Clima-Tact and then Sorcery Clima-Tact, Nami’s weather-manipulating powers multiplied as well.

After 2 years of learning weather science at Weatheria, Nami mastered the Sorcery Clima-Tact. Here are all the techniques that Nami has learned over the years.

Mirage Tempo – Create mirages of herself & appear completely invisible.
Thunder Lance Tempo – Create a powerful lightning cloud.
Mirage Tempo: Fata Morgana – Create multiple duplicates using mist.
Gust Sword – Weaponize and shoot gusts of wind.
Thunder Breed Tempo – Clima-Tact released eggs that hatch into thunderclouds.
Heat Egg – Create a heating orb in her Clima-Tact.

Other techniques include Shower Tempo, which Nami uses to take showers, and Milky Road, with which Nami can create a pathway of Sea Clouds over any surface.

Another powerful addition to Nami’s arsenal was Zeus, a thundercloud created by Big Mom. The Straw Hats stole Zeus when they escaped Totto Land, but Big Mom reclaimed it in Wano Country.

Then in Onigashima, Big Mom replaced Zeus with Hera. So, Nami got Zeus back and fused it into her Clima-Tact.

Nami’s real skills, however, are Cartography and Navigation.

Nami’s Cartography & Navigation Skills

Nami is the best navigator of the Worst Generation. Her whole childhood, Nami read books on navigation and cartology. She also has a decent understanding of meteorology and geography. But cartography is her passion, and navigation is her natural gift.

The whole Straw Hat crew trusts Nami and instantly follows her command when it comes to navigating through the Grand Line.

Although she learned most of her navigating and cartography skills while working for the Arlong Pirates, her skills improved further after the time skip. Her stay in Weatheria during the 2 year time skip vastly improved her understanding of the Grand Line seas and its weather.

She is also said to have a supernatural ability to predict a change in weather by sensing the wind with her body.

Apart from these, Nami is an expert pickpocket, a skill that comes in handy on multiple occasions. She’s so good that the World Government gave her the title ‘Cat Burglar.’

With all these skills, Nami is an important part of the Straw Hat Pirates crew. And considering how important her navigation skills are, she might be the only indispensable Straw Hat after Luffy and Zoro.

What Makes One Piece’s Nami A Great Shonen Female Lead?

Because of her impact and importance to the story, One Piece’s Nami is easily one of the best, if not THE best, shonen anime female leads. Not everyone agrees with this One Piece hot take, but here’s what makes Nami so good as a female lead.

No Time For Love

The best thing Eiichiro Oda did for Nami was the “no relationships between the Straw Hats” decision. This paved the way for Nami to develop on her own, instead of getting reduced to a love interest.

Instead of doing everything out of love, Nami’s actions have their own motives. First, it was money, then it was her dream of drawing a map of the entire world, and then she realized she had to do what she does because her friends rely on her.

That’s the character development of the highest order.

Carries Her Weight

Although she’s quick to hide behind the monster trio when danger arrives, Nami will take up a fight if there’s no other way.

She showed her spirit when she saved Usopp and Sanji from Hotori and Kotori using Impact Dials and rescued Franky just as the Oars were about to finish him off. Moreover, it was because of Nami that Luffy boarded Eneru’s ship and defeated him to save Skypiea.

During the Enies Lobby Arc, when Sanji was too simped out by Kalifa, Nami stepped in once again to defeat the much stronger CP9 member.

But perhaps her most important intervention was when she saved Luffy from Buggy the Clown.

We could go on and on, but the point is Nami more than justifies her position as a Senior Officer of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

Improves Constantly

Last, but not least, Nami’s improvement as a pirate/navigator is nothing short of incredible.

She asks Usopp to create a weapon that only she can use so she wouldn’t be so much of a burden on Luffy, Sanji, or Zoro. Then, over time, she learned new skills, improved her Clima-Tact, and became the strongest out of the cowardly trio.

7 Facts About Nami That You Should Know Before One Piece Ends

While you may know everything there is about Nami in the manga and the anime series, there’s still some stuff that you might have missed. Here are 7 trivia facts about Nami-san.

Nami is not the First Mate

Despite what the anime implied, Nami was not the first to join Luffy. In the anime, Nami has already joined Luffy’s crew when they land on the Naval Base Island.

However, in the manga, Luffy faced Axe-Hand Morgan all alone to rescue Zoro, making Zoro the first official member of the Straw Hats and the First Mate to Monkey D. Luffy.

Nami was supposed to be a Cyborg

In 2010, the 4th One Piece Databook was released. It was titled One Piece Green: Secret Pieces. The Databook showcased an early Nami manga character design, where she was wielding a battle axe and had mechanical limbs.

Nami is the only one Luffy trusts with the Straw Hat

One Piece fans know how protective Luffy is of his precious Straw Hat. And throughout the series, only 5 people have worn it besides Luffy- Usopp, Nami, Tama, Nico Robin, and Sweat Pea.

Robin and Sweat Pea wore it without Luffy’s permission. Tama and Usopp got to wear the hat once and Luffy gave it to them himself. However, Nami has worn the Straw Hat on multiple occasions as Luffy gives it to her for safekeeping.

It’s hard to forget the iconic scene when Luffy places his Hat on Nami’s head and vows to defeat Arlong. Apart from that, Nami wore the hat during the entire One Piece Movie 2: Clockwork Island Adventure.

Nami was used for some foreshadowing

During her shopping spree in Loguetown, we see Nami trying on different outfits. During the tryouts, she tries on a couple of dresses that we would see again later on in the series on two important female characters.

One resembled Nico Robin’s debut outfit, and the other was similar to Boa Hancock’s manga outfit.

She likes to keep others in debt

It’s no secret that Nami loves money. But more than liquid cash, she likes to keep others in her debt. As she is the one managing the finances of all Straw Hat members, all of them owe her money one way or another.

Mostly because she charges sky-high interest rates whenever she lends money to anyone.

Another reason why people find themself in Nami’s debt is that she charges 100,000 Bellies to anyone who sees her naked, by accident or by design.

She hurts Luffy’s spirit

Nami regularly beats up Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji. And it’s more of a gag because there’s no way Nami can hurt the likes of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. When one fan asked Oda about this, he replied that “Nami hurts Luffy’s spirit.”

So, those bruises are a gag, but the beatings do leave an effect on Luffy.

Eiichiro Oda married the real-life Nami

Eiichiro Oda met his wife Chiaki Inaba, a cosplayer/model, at the 2002 Jump Festa. While attending the Festa, Chiaki ran into Oda and the two fell for each other.

Guess what cosplay Chiaki wore to the Festa? Yes, Nami from One Piece. Talk about a match made in heaven.

After their relationship got public, fans realized how closely Chiaki resembled Nami, even without the cosplay.

In Japan, Nami always ends up in the top 3 to 5 ranks of every One Piece popularity poll. In a recent Global Poll, Nami finished 3rd, behind Luffy and Zoro.

While the start was shaky, One Piece’s Nami has come a long way from her days of cat burgling. She is the closest she’s ever been to achieving her dream of creating the One Piece world map. And we hope she achieves her dream, as the end is nigh.

Before you close the tab, check out some One Piece Nami wallpapers.