In season one of Netflix’s live-action One Piece, the audience gained insight into each of the Straw Hat Pirates’ backstories through flashbacks. One series of flashbacks that was particularly interesting was Sanji’s story. In Sanji’s backstory episode, seems like the beginning of a tragic tale. As a child, Sanji was shipwrecked on an island after a storm with only the pirate “Red Leg” Zeff for company. The pair slowly starved, with Zeff even turning to cannibalism to survive, but were eventually saved. Of course, fans of the anime and manga already knew there was likely more to Sanji’s story than that, and what we saw was really… the middle of a tragic backstory. Sanji’s OTHER One Piece backstory, in truth, exists as a much more horrifying tale. But since Netflix’s live-action One Piece is an adaptation, it wasn’t clear whether this version would include Sanji’s extended backstory. But now, One Piece season two has confirmed that, yes, Sanji’s other tragic backstory is part of the live-action plot as well, and it’s already affecting Sanji. Strap in, everyone, this is one brutal origin story.
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Live-Action One Piece Season 2 Confirms Sanji’s Other Backstory
So, what IS Sanji’s other backstory? Before we explain in full, we’ll point out the hints that One Piece season two leaves that there’s more to Sanji’s past than we received in season one. After that, we’ll share the specific details of Sanji’s painful backstory for all of you angst lovers/spoiler fiends. We won’t go into how that backstory plays into the forward narrative of the One Piece manga/anime/live-action, but simply lay out what has already happened to Sanji in his past.
Sanji’s Mr. Prince Moniker Comes From the Anime/Manga But Takes On New Meaning in Live-Action One Piece Season 2
The first hint of Sanji’s backstory in season two of the live-action series, Sanji’s nickname, Mr. Prince, actually comes straight out of the One Piece manga/anime. Though it seems like an obvious clue now, it’s debatable whether this Easter egg was originally intended as a hint at Sanji’s past. It actually first appeared a very long time before Sanji’s full history was revealed, even in the One Piece anime/manga.
Sanji Tells Mr. 0/Crocodile to Call Him Mr. Prince
In One Piece season two’s adaptation of the anime/manga’s Little Garden Anime arc, Sanji finds himself in a pickle. The rest of the Straw Hats, except Usopp, have been kidnapped by Baroque Works officer Mr. 3, alongside a couple of other agents. Sanji is looking for them when he happens to pick up the Den Den Mushi phone in Mr. 3’s wax house. On the other side of the line is Baroque Works’ leader, Mr. 0/Crocodile. At first, Sanji lies to him, pretending to be Mr. 3. But after defeating the absurd Baroque Works Agents, the Unluckies (a pajamas wearing otter and vulture in sunglasses), Sanji confesses that these Baroque Works Agents are dead and that all is not well with Mr. 0’s plans.
When Mr. 0/Crocodile demands to know who he is speaking to, Sanji says, “You can call me, Mr. Prince.”
Mr. Prince Comes Right From the Anime/Manga, But Now It Seems Like a Nod to Sanji’s Secret Backstory
Sanji’s Mr. Prince codename comes right from the early parts of the One Piece anime/manga. In the original stories, he similarly tells Mr. 0/Crocodile that he is Mr. Prince in order to obscure his identity as a Straw Hat Pirate and save his friends from danger. This happens in Chapter 174 of the One Piece manga and episode 108 of the One Piece anime.
At the time of Sanji’s first use of the code-name Mr. Prince, though, the anime/manga hadn’t revealed the rest of his backstory yet. Not even fans of the anime/manga knew there was more to Sanji’s past. That would come much later! (Literal years.) But given the full-view we have of Sanji’s story in One Piece, it now feels pretty damn likely that the Mr. Prince nickname was a planned nod to the demons in Sanji’s past. You see, in Sanji’s other backstory, we learn he is indeed a real prince. Sanji is the third Prince of the Germa Kingdom in One Piece‘s world. While the original use of Mr. Prince may or may not have pointed to this aspect of Sanji’s story, its use now certainly does.
Sanji Reveals the Story of His Mother’s Illness, Confirming a Long-Time Fan Theory
In season one, Sanji’s backstory flashbacks do not discuss his parents at all. We meet his childhood self already serving on a ship. But in One Piece season two, Sanji reveals more about himself to Nami, specifically the sad tale of his mother.
Sanji shares that his journey as a chef started with his mom, offering that he didn’t cook with his mom, but for her:
My mom was really sick when I was growing up. And I was really little. I just wanted to make her feel better and cooking was the way I could show my love for her. Didn’t start off great. I used to make her these lunches with just anything I could find lying around the kitchen… Mushy banana amuse-bouche, old fish heads with undercooked rice. IT was a real smorgasbord of sickness. And I would march down the hallway, head held all high. Nurse’s face would turn green whenever I walked in the room. But not my mom. You wouldn’t to tell she was sick from the way she looked at me when I walked in. Ray of sunshine emanating from that bed. She’d always go, “Oh my little prince, what have you brought for me, today?”
She used to look at the lunchbox and she’d just take a bite, and she’d smile. Made me feel like I was really helping, you know. And then I got better, honing my skills, my flavor profiles, my savory combinations. But while I was getting better, she was getting worse. And every time she’d finish her lunch, I’d hug her so tight, it probably took her breath away. And then came the day where I didn’t have to make anymore lunches. So every meal I make, I’m making for her.”
Of course, as we’ll discuss below, this version of events perfectly matches up with the story of Sanji’s mother from Sanji’s other backstory. And, there is, once again, the nod to Sanji being “a little prince.”
Fans Have Long Speculated that Sanji’s Overreaction to Nami’s Illness in the One Piece Manga/Anime is Due to His Painful Backstory
This scene from One Piece season two not only confirms the inclusion of Sanji’s backstory but also adds to it, validating a long-time fan theory held by anime and manga fans.
The Drum Island arc of the anime and manga also features Nami’s illness. And, in it, Sanji greatly overreacts to news of her sickness, even more so than in the live-action. At first, Sanji feels shocked, then he ends up crying, and finally, he turns despondent, imagining that Nami is going to die.
Unlike in the One Piece live-action, though, Sanji does not share anything about his backstory or mother with Nami or the audience at this time. But ever since the One Piece anime/manga revealed the full truth about Sanji in its later arcs, fans have speculated that indeed, his early agitation about Nami’s illness in the Drum Island arc stemmed from watching his mother get sick and die. And now, season two of the live-action One Piece has confirmed this theory, adding it to Sanji’s official canon. It’s a skillful addition to Sanji’s story, one fans wanted to see that is only possible with this foreknowledge and a deft narrative hand.
But Just What IS Sanji’s Other Tragic Backstory?
Okay, so Sanji is a Prince and his mother dies. That IS pretty tragic. But it’s really, once again, only the beginning. Just what is Sanji’s true tragic backstory in One Piece? In One Piece‘s manga/anime, it’s revealed in the Whole Cake Island arc. But here, we break it down without spoiling how this impacts the ongoing story of the One Piece live-action.
Sanji Is a Prince of the Germa Kingdom
It turns out that Sanji was born as the third prince and fourth child of the Germa Kingdom. The Germa Kingdom, which we have not yet met in the One Piece live-action, is not a land-based kingdom, but is instead a collection of huge ships with castles and some vegetation built onto them. At the time of Sanji’s birth, the Vinsmoke family ruled the Germa Kingdom. Specifically, Sanji’s father, King Vinsmoke Judge, led the kingdom. Vinsmoke Judge is a heartless crime boss and also a skilled scientist.
Sanji’s Mother Sacrifices Her Life for Sanji’s Emotions
Sanji, it turns out, is one of four quadruplet sons born to Vinsmoke Judge and Vinsmoke Sora. Sanji also has an older sister, Reiju. Unfortunately, Judge does not see his children as human beings, but as opportunities to create Super Soldiers who will lead the Germa Kingdom to world dominance. Using his twisted science, Judge attempts to genetically enhance his sons before birth through a dark surgery, hoping to give them superhuman abilities and strip away all their emotions.
However, Sanji’s mother, Sora, secretly takes a drug while pregnant to counteract these effects. Unfortunately, this drug only works on Sanji, leaving him the only sibling without superpowers and with his emotions intact. Even more unfortunately, the drug weakens Sanji’s mother, rendering her sick beyond the point of saving. Sadly, she dies.
However, before her death, as Sanji shares in live-action One Piece season two, she welcomes a meal of mushy bananas and fish heads that Sanji makes for her, encouraging a young Sanji to cook for her again, bolstering his dream, and giving him the only love he ever receives in his young life.
Child Sanji Is Tortured By His Father and Brothers, Then Imprisoned
After his mother’s death, Sanji is in a pretty bad spot, and his bad One Piece backstory takes a turn for the even worse. Vinsmoke Judge reveals to his young children that he has genetically modified them and seeks for them to lead Germa 66, the military arm of the kingdom. He immediately begins to put them through brutal training to bring out the potential he has genetically engineered into their bodies. Of course, Sanji’s genetic modifications failed thanks to his mother. So while his siblings begin to evolve into Judge’s hoped-for Super Soldiers, Sanji remains weak, and worse, where his father is concerned, kind, empathic, and full of his dream of cooking. He spares love and food even for the rats in the castle.
Sanji’s brothers regularly bully and torture him, beating him mercilessly for his perceived weakness. And Judge is even crueler, telling Sanji he is a soft failure, a waste, and weak. At first, Judge seems to think that if he pushes Sanji beyond his breaking point and forces him to train, Sanji will become like his siblings, but eventually he concludes that is was not the case. So, instead, Vinsmoke Judge fakes Sanji’s death, declares him dead, and locks him away in a dungeon. Judge also humiliates Sanji, forcing him to wear an iron mask on his face at all times to remind him that he doesn’t deserve his face or name, given his inability to live up to either from his father’s perspective. The mask is only removed during meals.
Sanji’s Only Solace Is His Dream of Cooking
During his imprisonment, Sanji’s only solace is the cookbooks he receives in his captivity. In them, he first reads about the All Blue, and his great dream begins. Despite the hardships of his life, Sanji is able to retain and grow his passion for cooking under these harsh conditions, driven by the love of his mother and the great kindness and empathy that she had instilled in him.
Sanji’s Sister, His Only Somewhat Positive Relationship, Helps Him Escape
As mentioned, Sanji also has an older sister, Reiju. Unlike Sanji’s three brothers, Reiju did not undergo genetic modification to kill her emotions and “enhance” her. But given the overall climate in the Vinsmoke family, she adopts a cold, cruel demeanor and crushes her own compassion to please her father. While it feels clear that Reiju possesses a sense of morality and compassion, she suppresses her gentler instincts in favor of what’s expected of a Vinsmoke.
This means she must also outwardly disdain Sanji for his weakness. At times, Reiju even laughs along as Sanji’s brothers beat him, something which continues into his imprisonment, but does occasionally help him tend to his wounds. It feels like Reiju truly cares for Sanji in her heart, but can never fully commit to being on his side and risk angering her family.
In the end, though, it is Reiju that helps Sanji escape from this chapter of his tragic One Piece backstory. When the Germa Kingdom attempts to cross the Red Line, one of the massive continental land spans that bisects One Piece‘s world, and move from the North Blue into the East Blue, a massive battle breaks out. Sanji tells his sister he wants to run away from the Germa Kingdom and become a great chef, and Reiju relents, taking the opportunity to help her brother escape prison.
Vinsmoke Judge Lets Sanji Go Free But Only If He Promises NEVER to Call Himself a Vinsmoke
While Reiju hoped Sanji could escape unnoticed, Sanji has one last painful encounter before this chapter of his backstory wraps up. As he flees his prison toward a neighboring cruise ship, he runs into his father, Judge. Vinsmoke Judge decides not to stop Sanji from running away but basically disowns him. Sanji’s father orders him to never reveal that he is a Vinsmoke or that Judge is his father. Sanji was already stripped of his titles as a prince of the Germa Kingdom, but now he is stripped of his family as well. After this encounter, Sanji boards the cruise ship, the Orbit. He eventually finds his way into the kitchen, and that’s where he’s working when “Red Leg” Zeff attacks the ship… And the next chapter of Sanji’s tragedy begins.
Obviously, we see that Sanji’s family is beyond horrible to him in his One Piece backstory, and he is well rid of them. But given that Sanji is around eight during all these events, being totally cast out and disowned, on top of everything that already happened to him, must have been a harrowing experience. Anime backstories, man. They really know how to crank up the angst.
Taz Skyler Discusses How Sanji’s Other Backstory Already Impacts Him in Live-Action One Piece Season 2
Although we now know that this aspect of Sanji exists in live-action One Piece, we don’t know exactly how this part of his backstory will manifest in the One Piece live-action, or when. But Sanji’s actor, Taz Skyler, says that live-action One Piece is taking this element of Sanji very seriously. And, in fact, it greatly informs the version of the character we see in the adaptation.
Taz Skyler shares of live-action Sanji, “Well, I think in our live-action, the way that Sanji is, his relationship with women, which is much less, I’d say much less romanticized and much more like a care-based thing. My justification for it was always that I think that it makes complete sense because women were the only people who were good to him when he was growing up. Every man in his life was abusive, was aggressive, but his sister and his mother were the two people that gave him love, gave him care, gave him support. So it makes absolute sense that anytime he’s around a woman of any type, he tries to do his best to give the same kind of support back.”
Given how integral it is to the character, we can’t wait to see Sanji’s backstory truly come to life in the One Piece live-action. While it may not fully come into play for a while yet, it’s exciting to know that such critical character details are already being considered and woven into the live-action.
One Piece season two is now streaming on Netflix. You can read our full One Piece season two review here.
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Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is an angst connoisseur and must say Sanji’s backstory is UP there when it comes to sad boy tales.
The post ONE PIECE Season 2 Confirms Sanji’s OTHER Backstory in the Live-Action appeared first on Nerdist.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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