The Best Straw Hat Parent in One Piece Isn't Who You Think

Parents in One Piece come in all shapes and sizes, even among the Straw Hat Crew. While some are loving and supportive, many fall short — and the fact that many of the good ones are dead doesn’t help. Red Leg Zeff is a caring father to Sanji but also instills some questionable beliefs. Bell-mere was a wonderful mother, but her untimely death meant she couldn’t support her daughters for long.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kureha stands out as both a strong parental figure and a guiding force for Tony Tony Chopper, teaching him invaluable lessons and continuing to support him to this day. Kureha, the oldest living human in One Piece's world, is a mysterious figure. She possesses advanced medical knowledge and uses it effectively during the Drum Island arc. While she is often harsh with most people, she prioritizes her practice. Kureha takes pride in her youthful appearance and allthough it may not be significant now, the secret to her youth could become important in the future.

After eating the human human fruit and being kicked out of his herd, the first human to show Chopper kindness is Hiriluk. HIriluk was a terrible doctor who conducted strange experiments on people while trying to help them. However, he was always trying to help others, despite the illegality of being a doctor on Drum Island. Hiriluk was an optimist who thought the best of people and believed hope was just as important as medicine. He gave Chopper the inspiration to want to cure every disease through both his unwavering faith and his own illness. Hiriluk begged Kureha to take Chopper in after his death. Despite her protests, Kureha made sure Chopper had someone looking out for him.

Age

Affiliation

Manga Debut

Anime Debut

Japanese Voice Actor

English Voice Actor

Tony Tony Chopper

17

Straw Hat Pirates

Chapter 134

Episode 81

Ikue Otani; Kazue Ikura (Episode 254–264, Movie 7)

Brina Palencia

Kureha

141

Isshi-100

Chapter 134

Episode 80

Masako Nozawa

Julie Mayfield

Hiriluk

68

None

Chapter 141

Episode 85

Shigeru Ushiyama

Mark Stoddard

It's a shame some of the more interesting connections between side characters in One Piece never get properly explored on Luffy's journey.

Unlike Hiriluk, Kureha is a great doctor, probably one of the best in the world. She and Hiriluk also differ in her desire for compensation and cynical nature. However, both of them stood against Wapol and kept helping the citizens of Drum. They were good friends. Kureha was furious at Hiriluk accepting his death for the poisonous mushroom, but she adopted Chopper.

Plus, she promised to fulfill his dream of bringing cherry blossoms to Drum. She spent years manufacturing the powder that turned snow pink. In accomplishing Hiriluk's dream, she not only kept her word to her fellow doctor, but she made it, so Chopper had nothing holding him back anymore. Chopper could go on his own journey as a pirate, knowing he doesn't have to bring cherry trees to Drum himself.

Chopper is kind and naïve. He's a very gentle character who gets walked on all the time, and this is after Kureha toughened him up some. Even when the humans on Drum lashed out at him, Chopper didn't want to hurt them. He's hopeful and wholeheartedly believes he can save everyone. However, he can only help them if they actually listen to what he has to say. Even the best doctor can't do much good when their patients go, ruining any help they get.

The Straw Hat Crew are bad patients. Luffy is the worst offender, as he always tries to do things before he should when he's bored. It takes a lot of work for Chopper to keep his patients in bed long enough for them to heal. However, he manages. Kureha doesn't care about having a nice bedside manner. If she needs her patients to stop moving, she's perfectly willing to have Chopper knock them unconscious. Kureha puts her patients' recovery above their comfort. Considering the example he has to follow, it's a wonder Chopper isn't stricter.

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Outside the crew, this skill proved itself especially relevant during the Punk Hazard arc. Chopper was sympathetic towards the children being experimented on, but he was still firm enough to get Mocha to understand the situation. Without her help, he would have had a much harder time saving those children. Kureha made sure Chopper could be strict and smart when needed.

Kureha wants Chopper to chase his dreams and experience the world. However, she's not willing to let him go with just any pirate crew. She understands how much he admires pirates because of Hiriluk's ideals, though. So, she only lets the Straw Hats recruit Chopper after they promise to heal his trauma.

One reason Luffy impresses her is because he wants to recruit Chopper before he knew Chopper is a doctor. At that point, Kureha forces Chopper to go with them. Despite wanting to follow his dream, Chopper lacked confidence in his decision. Kureha forces him to stand up for himself and his dream by forbidding him from going, though. Chopper is ultimately the youngest member of the Straw Hat Crew.

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He's also incredibly trusting of most people, making him gullible. Kureha knows how little experience he has with the world because of his isolation on Drum. As such, Chopper needs a crew that has his best interests in mind. The Straw Hat Pirates can prove their worth to Kureha because of their dedication to each other and how they defeated Wapol. Were it not for Wapol's interference, they may have had a much harder time recruiting Chopper. Kureha is shrewd enough to get an accurate understanding of people in a way Chopper simply couldn't, but she also trusts the Straw Hat Crew.

Unlike swordsmen, there's no list of the greatest doctors in the world. During the time he was one of the Roger Pirates, Crocus was the greatest doctor in the world, but that may no longer be the case. Kureha is an incredible doctor who is always shown curing her patients of whatever ails them. She's very proud of her skills, and that pride only makes her strive to be a better doctor.

She says she has passed everything she knows down to Chopper. Despite being a reindeer and having no formal education growing up, Chopper is a medical prodigy. He's long surpassed Hiriluk's skills. He's capable of complicated chemistry and intense diagnoses even amid battle.

Hiriluk gave Chopper the desire to cure every disease and save everyone. However, Kureha gave him the ability to accomplish that dream. Both through the skills he needs and a realistic understanding of what harms and helps others. Despite his clear talent, it must have taken more dedication for Chopper to become as good as he is so quickly.

Chopper had to beg Kureha to teach him, but she still took to it wholeheartedly. Now, she leads the Isshi-100 and ensures Drum Island is a place where everyone can get the medical care they need. She leads the group both because of her defiant spirit and her unmatched skill. Chopper inherits both these traits from her.

Hiriluk believed in giving people hope to cure them of their ills. Kureha has always focused on the actual medical practices needed to help people. Chopper has taken both these ideals as his own and now uses them to keep his crew and allies safe. Kureha has played a major part in making him the capable person he is today, and she's clearly very proud of him for it. After all, Kureha wears a shirt with Chopper's bounty on it in Marie Geoise.

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