The Straw Hat Pirates are the main protagonists of the One Piece series and are led by the captain, Monkey D. Luffy. This crew was officially established on September 1, 1997, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 40, when Roronoa Zoro became the first member to join Luffy’s crew. Since then, the Straw Hat Pirates have come up against some of the strongest forces on the high seas and have faced the threat of death many times. That said, over these years, there’s one Straw Hat who has been incredibly close to dying on many occasions due to his own suicidal nature, and that is none other than the cook of the crew, Sanji.
With the release of One Piece Chapter 1196 on October 18, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 47, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, has now officially shut down the death of Sanji as he finally starts to value himself and, in doing so, becomes a conqueror.
One Piece Chapter 1196 Shuts Down The Death Of Sanji Forever
The Strawhat Pirates are the protagonists of One Piece and thus incredibly unlikely to die at any point in the series. But if there is one Strawhat that fans have seen sacrificing himself for the others on countless occasions, it’s the cook of the crew, Sanji. Sanji’s longing for death stems from the abuse that he suffered at the hands of his family, the Vinsmokes, growing up. For years, Sanji has suffered from low self-esteem and has never truly valued his own life over that of anyone else. This is precisely why Sanji has tried to sacrifice himself for the crew on various occasions.
Sanji: I don’t care about myself. I would gladly give my life for the sake of Nami and Robin!
Ivankov: I’m not saying that’s wrong. But Sanji, remember this: the love of the one who longs for death is worthless, and right now, your love is full of wounds.
— Ivankov addresses Sanji, One Piece Chapter #1196
Even when Sanji was recruited for the crew in the Baratie arc, his decision was to sacrifice his own life or that of Zeff, simply because Zeff gave up his leg for his sake long ago. Then Sanji tried to sacrifice himself on countless occasions, including arcs like Arabasta and Skypiea, where he most certainly could have died. Sanji’s reckless approach of throwing his life away continued in arcs like Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, and even Sabaody Archipelago.
Since the timeskip, this pattern has continued. More recently, in the Whole Cake Island arc, Sanji tried to throw his life away by sacrificing himself for the sake of the crew once again, only for Luffy to drag him back. Now, finally, the self-loathing and suicidal version of Sanji is being shut down forever.
“Hey, Iva-chan! It seems that the day of my limits is finally here. I need strength right here right now. If I build up my defense, will I get stronger? While I need power, you’re telling me to take care of myself?” — Sanji thinks to himself, One Piece Chapter #1196
In One Piece chapter 1196, Emporio Ivankov stated to Sanji that if this suicidal nature of his continues, he would eventually die and fail to protect the crew that he loved dearly. Sanji now realizes this and, for the very first time, has placed true value on his own self. This is what led to the most exciting development at the end of One Piece chapter 1196, where Sanji looked down upon Killingham from above, telling him that he would be unable to hit him from here on. In other words, Sanji has now awakened as a true conqueror, and his death has officially been shut down forever.
Why Sanji’s Death Was A Big Possibility In One Piece
It is unlikely for Eiichiro Oda to kill off a member of the Straw Hat crew, but if there was one whom we could see seemingly give up his life for the sake of the Straw Hats, it is most definitely Sanji. With each arc, Sanji’s sacrifices grew more reckless and more suicidal, and this is also because of the increasing nature of the threat that the Straw Hat Pirates face. In the New World, the Straw Hats are up against the Yonko, and the first time they got into trouble with one, Sanji decided to give his life away on Whole Cake Island.
From here onwards, the threat is only going to grow even further, and if Sanji had not decided to finally show himself some love, he would most certainly have sacrificed himself for the sake of the crew at some point later down the line, perhaps even in arcs like Elbaf. As mentioned by Emporio Ivankov, Sanji’s love was covered in scars, and eventually, he would die if he kept up this reckless nature of fighting and sacrificing himself for the sake of those he loves. This weakness of Sanji was highlighted in the battle against Killingham, and that is precisely why he was forced to evolve as a fighter and place true value on his own self as well.
“I won’t take a single hit from you any longer. I don’t care if you’re a Celestial Dragon or whatever. You’re standing there talking down to me in front of the people who took us in. You’re getting on my nerves. Your head is too high. I said, bow down, horse-man!” — Sanji’s nature shifts, One Piece Chapter #1196
If he had failed to do that, Sanji’s death would have happened in the Elbaf arc of One Piece, which, although shocking, was a massive possibility. Even if Sanji somehow survived Elbaf, he would most certainly not survive the arcs to come and would eventually crumble, sacrificing himself for the Straw Hat Pirates and, with that, ending the journey of the crew forever. By finally acknowledging his own value and loving himself, Sanji has awakened a completely new persona that will see him reach the highest levels as a fighter and truly aid Luffy on his quest to become the Pirate King.
Usopp’s Death Is Still Possible In One Piece’s Final Saga
Alongside Sanji, there is another member of the Straw Hat Pirates who could potentially go on to die at some point in the series, and that is Usopp. This is because Usopp’s dream is inherently tied to the idea of death. Those in Elbaf value a glorious death, and consider it to be the ultimate respect that a warrior can attain. Usopp also places incredible value on this form of death, and as such, there is a possibility that he will die at some point later down the line.
That said, Usopp’s death is still unlikely to happen before Luffy becomes the Pirate King. It is entirely possible that Usopp will eventually go on to have his own adventures with his own crew and then die a death worthy of respect and be remembered as a hero for years to come. It is important to acknowledge the plotline of Usopp moving forward, but at the same time, also the importance of this character to Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. Without Usopp, Luffy can never become the Pirate King, and that is true for just about every other character within the Straw Hat Pirates.
All chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
