This article contains major character or plot details.
A passionate and talented chef, Sanji brings his charm and flirtatious ways to his table service in ONE PIECE. In the kitchen and out, he can be a hothead, and sometimes he clashes with Zoro, his fellow Straw Hat. But Sanji is also incredibly honorable, eager to supply a good meal to anyone who’s hungry. When Luffy invites Sanji to join his crew, he perfectly sums up his character: “You’re not only a good cook, you’re a good guy.”
“Sanji is chivalrous, yes he is; caring, sometimes; elegant, that’s for sure; and one of the crew’s strongest fighters,” says Taz Skylar, who plays Sanji, in the fifth episode of ONE PIECE: Into the Grand: Official Podcast.
Read on to learn more about ONE PIECE’s Sanji.
Key info
Name: Sanji
Played by: Taz Skylar, Christian Convery (young Sanji)
Crew: Straw Hat Pirates
Role: Cook, former sous-chef and waiter at Baratie
Weapons: His legs
First appearance: Season 1, Episode 5, “EAT AT BARATIE!” (9:52)
Relationships
Friend/mentor: Zeff
Crewmates: Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Usopp
Special abilities
Having trained in kitchens from a young age, Sanji is a master chef who will generously feed anyone. He’s also a skilled fighter, relying exclusively on what he calls “Black Leg Style” kicking to protect his hands for cooking.
Motivation
As a child, Sanji began cooking to care for his sick mother. When she died, he kept cooking to honor her memory. Nine years ago, Sanji worked as an apprentice chef on a passenger vessel called the Orbit. When the ship was attacked, he was held at knife point by a gruff pirate chef named Zeff. The sharp-tongued young cook shared his desire to find the All Blue, a chef’s paradise said to have ingredients from all four oceans. Just then, a storm overtook the ship, killing everyone except Sanji and Zeff, who were stranded on a large rock in the middle of the ocean with limited rations. Because the pirate shared Sanji’s dream to find the All Blue, and he believed the young chef had a better chance of one day making it there, Zeff gave all the food to the boy and cut off and ate his own leg to survive.
After 85 days, they were rescued, and Zeff eventually opened up a floating restaurant called Baratie, where Sanji served as sous-chef. The two had a contentious relationship and often disagreed on cooking methods — especially the use of oregano. But Zeff’s harshness was a way to push Sanji to fulfill his potential and pursue their dream of finding the All Blue. Now, as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, he’s finally searching for the legendary locale.
Season 1
- Sanji meets Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp when they stop at Baratie. Impressed with his cooking, Luffy asks Sanji to join his crew.
- When Zoro is wounded in a duel, Sanji and Zeff nurse him back to health in the Baratie kitchen. Sanji also rescues Luffy after a pirate named Arlong throws him into the ocean. Sanji takes Luffy up on his offer to serve as cook on the Going Merry.
- Sanji, Luffy, and the remaining Straw Hats arrive at Coco Village in their search for Nami, who has joined forces with Arlong. Sanji uses his culinary skills to prepare a special meal for Nami’s sister, which convinces her to share information about their past. After Arlong betrays Nami, the crew fights the fish-man, freeing her and the citizens of Coco Village from his rule.
Season 2
- On a stop in Loguetown for supplies, Sanji shops for specialty ingredients to craft exciting new meals for his fellow Straw Hats. Alongside Nami, Zoro, and Usopp, he faces off against Alvida and Buggy, who have joined forces to take down Luffy.
- At the edge of the Grand Line, a whale swallows the Going Merry, with Sanji, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp aboard. While searching for items they can use to repair the ship, Sanji and Usopp encounter Mr. 9, an agent of a criminal organization called Baroque Works. With help from Luffy and a lighthouse keeper named Crocus, the ship eventually emerges, and the crew continues through the Grand Line, now with two captives, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday.
- After Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 escape, the crew lands on Whisky Peak, which is run by Baroque Works. Sanji flirts his way into trouble, getting himself and Usopp taken hostage, but Zoro rescues them. When it’s revealed that Miss Wednesday, whose true identity is Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Alabasta, has been working undercover against Baroque Works, the Straw Hats promise they will deliver her home safely.
- As Sanji and the others explore Little Garden, members of Baroque Works track them down. While the others are under attack, Sanji gets lost in the jungle, but he still carves up a dinosaur for dinner.
- Coming across Mr. 3’s house of wax, Sanji enters and answers a call from Mr. 0, the leader of Baroque Works. When Miss Friday and Mr. 13 arrive, Sanji fights them off. Back on the Going Merry, he and the crew set course for Alabasta.
- After Nami gets sick, Sanji steps up to care for her. The Straw Hat Pirates stop at the nearest island, Drum Kingdom, where Luffy and Sanji take their ailing friend up a snowy mountain to see Dr. Kureha, who lives in the abandoned Drum Castle. There, they meet Tony Tony Chopper, a blue-nosed reindeer boy training to become a doctor, and Sanji opens up to Nami about his past.
- When the tyrant king Wapol returns to Drum Kingdom to reclaim his throne, Sanji and Tony Tony Chopper take on his henchmen. Once Nami is healed and Wapol is defeated, the crew sets sail for Alabasta to help Vivi take down Baroque Works.
