Nico Robin

Infobox animanga character
color = #800080
name = Nico Robin
series = One Piece


caption = Nico Robin, from the anime and manga series One Piece.
first = Manga Chapter #114 Anime Episode #67
last =
creator = Eiichiro Oda
voiced by = Japanese
Yuriko Yamaguchi (ep. 67-298, 320+)
Yuko Kobayashi (ep. 299-319)
Anzu Nagai (as a child)
English
(4Kids)
Veronica Taylor
(FUNimation)
Stephanie Young
Natasha Malinsky (Singapore, Odex)
nickname = Demon Child
alias = Miss All Sunday
Ms. Sunday in the 4Kids dub
age = 28
gender = Female
species = Human
born = 6 February [SBS questions: "One Piece Manga" - Vol.25 - Chapter 227, Fan question: Hello! Odacchi!! Do you think that February 6th would be a good day for Nico Robin's birthday?((JP) ISBN 4-08-873313-4 )]
occupation = Pirate (Straw-Hat Pirates, Archaeologist)
relatives = Nico Olvia (mother, deceased), Roji (Aunt, Deceased), Unnamed Uncle (Deceased)
paux1 name = Bounty
paux1 = 80,000,000 Beli
divider = Devil Fruit
aux1 name = Name
aux1 = Hana Hana no Mi (Japanese)
Hana Hana Fruit (English Dub)
Flower Flower Fruit (English manga)
aux2 name = Type
aux2 = Paramecia
aux3 name = Powers
aux3 = Gives user the ability to "sprout" multiple copies of any part of the body on any surface the user chooses.

nihongo|Nico Robin|ニコ・ロビン|Niko Robin is a fictional character in the anime and manga series "One Piece" created by Eiichiro Oda. She is the sixth member to join and the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Creation and conception

Character outline

Personality

As an archaeologist, Robin values ancient artifacts and buildings and will risk her life to protect them. She becomes extremely angry with those who destroy these ancient relics. Robin is consistently portrayed as the wisest and most sensible member of the crew. She has vast knowledge of the world of "One Piece", and usually keeps her head during surprising situations, allowing her to logically analyze them without losing her cool. This is in direct contrast to the other Straw Hats, who often overreact comically or melodramatically to unexpected happenings and hold irrational ideas and conclusions. She even remains calm when talking about morbid subjects, often shocking her crewmates.

Abilities

Robin ate the Hana Hana no Mi (ハナハナの実 "Hana Hana no Mi") (Flower Flower Fruit in the English Manga) allowing her to create copies of any of her body parts [SBS questions: "One Piece Manga" - Vol. 45 - Chapter 433, Fan Question: If Lady Robin can use her Hana Hana Powers to make any part of her body sprout somewhere else, does that mean she can do it with her ample bosom as well?((JP) ISBN 4-08-874314-1 )] on any solid surface that she can see, such as her own body, on the bodies of others or on other objects. In battle she most often employs grappling techniques to incapacitate her foe; by replicating her limbs on their body she eliminates the need for close range combat. If Robin's replicated body parts are damaged in some way, the damage appears on her actual body. ["One Piece Manga" - Vol.29 - Chapter 265, Seen during Robin's fight with Yama((JP) ISBN 4-08-873480-7 )]

Robin usually names her techniques using the French word 'Fleur', preceded by a Spanish number corresponding to the number of limbs reproduced [SBS questions: "One Piece Manga" - Vol.40 - Chapter 381, Fan question: Odacchi! Hello! I enjoy One Piece very much! But!! I always wonder about that trick of Robin's! "Cien Fleur" and "Seis Fleur" and all that! What language is that? Please tell ussssssss (Please?!)((JP) ISBN 4-08-874003-3 )] . In the 4kids dub, she instead says a number in English before saying "floret".

Robin is an archaeologist and historian, and believed to be the only person in the story's present able to read the fictional Poneglyph language. Her dream is to find and decipher the Rio Poneglyph, which she believes to lie at the end of the Grand Line on the island of Raftel.

Plot overview

As a child, Robin studied archeology and history on an island named Ohara, and became an official archaeologist at the age of eight. Her mother Nico Olivia left her when she was two years old to do outlawed research on the "One Piece" world's lost history. Olivia is captured and the Navy discovered, that the scholars of Ohara shared Olivia's forbidden goal. She escaped and rushed to Ohara to warn her colleagues but did not make it in time. The Marines wipes out every person on Oharan soil. Only Robin is spared and given a means of escape by the Vice-Admiral Kuzan, who would later be known as Aokiji.

As she was the only known person left, with the ability to read the text of the forbidden history, the World Government placed a high bounty on her head. In order to survive and to pursue her mothers dream, she spend two decades allying herself with various pirates and other unsavory groups. During that time she is constantly betrayed, gradually eroding her ability to trust people.

At the age of 24, she goes to work for Sir Crocodile as "Miss All Sunday", and meets the Straw Hat pirates during the Arabasta rebellion. After the defeat of Crocodile, she stows away on board the Going Merry, telling Luffy that since he saved her when she had no reason to live, he is now responsible for her life.

She stays with the crew, until Aokiji steps into her life once again. As the Straw Hats are quickly defeated by his overwhelming power, she comes to a decision. And when shortly after that, she is approached by the CP9 and her crew is threatened a second time, she gives herself up in exchange for her comrades safety.

When the Straw Hats find out about her motives, they chase after her to the stronghold of Enies Lobby, while Robin persistently turns down any offered means of escape. As it turns out, the second reason for her refusal to return, besides the fact, that her being with them alone put them in danger, is the fear, that her new friends would eventually act the same way, all her previous partners had and come to think of her as a burden, relentlessly attracting the nemesis known as the government of the world.

Finally knowing the truth, the Straw Hats don't hesitate, but burn down the government's flag, declaring war. With the symbol of her prosecution going up in flames, she comes to realize how far they'd go for her and after a long and hard battle returns to stay with them.

Appearances in other media

Along with other "One Piece" characters, Robin appeared in a "Shonen Jump" special, where Enel attacks Tokyo and Odaiba, in "Cross Epoch" the short story created in cooperation by Oda and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, as well as in the video games "Jump Super Stars" and "Jump Ultimate Stars".

Robin appeared in "One Piece Grand Battle! 2" and "One Piece Grand Battle! 3" as Miss All Sunday. She also appeared in "One Piece Grand Battle! Rush!", this time under her actual name. In the English versions, she has appeared in "Shonen Jump's One Piece: Grand Battle" as Ms Sunday and "One Piece: Grand Adventure" under her actual name.

Trivia

*Series creator Eiichiro Oda has stated that Nico Robin is represented by the color purple and she smells of flowers. SBS questions: "One Piece Manga" - Vol.40 - Chapter 380, Fan question: What colors represent the crew. What do each of the Straw Hat Crew smell like ((JP) ISBN 4-08-874003-3 )] Her favorite foods are sandwiches, cakes that are not too sweet, and things that go well with coffee. SBS questions: "One Piece Manga" - Vol.45 Chapter 439, Fan Question: Luffy's favorite food is meat. What about everyone else on the crew? ((JP) ISBN 4-08-874314-1 )]
*Another one of Robin's unique characteristic is the way she calls her fellow crew members by their own distinct characteristics. Zoro as Mr. Swordsman, Nami as Miss Navigator, Usopp as Mr. Long Nose, and so forth.

Reception

In the most recent "Shonen Jump" fan poll, Robin ranked as the fifth most popular character and the overall most popular female character. [SBS fan poll: "One Piece Manga" - Vol.43 ((JP) ISBN 4-08-874149-8 )]

References