How Did Luffy Get His Scars?

You know how the saying goes. Scars are the accessories of a warrior, and one should wear them with pride. Luffy seems to have taken these words to heart since there are so many scars visible on his body. 

As the future Pirate King, these scars will act as marks of his famous victories. People will talk about them in legends and his enemies will cower in fear at their sight. But how did Luffy get his scars? Before talking about that, we should note that Luffy has two prominent scars on his body. 

One is the big X-marked scar on his chest, and the other is a small one below his left eye. While he has numerous other minor scars visible, these two are the most prominent ones. They also have very interesting stories behind them, and we will talk about that today.

The chest scar

Luffy’s X-shaped chest scar is probably the most famous scar in anime history. You can just show any fan the scar and they will recognize it almost immediately. Sadly, the origin of this scar brings us back to some painful incidents. 

We go back to the Marineford Arc, where One Piece lost two of its most lovable characters—Ace and Whitebeard. Luffy had gone to Marineford, a navy HQ, to rescue Ace, who was imprisoned there. However, Luffy ultimately failed in his mission. Ace had to be the one to protect Luffy by acting as a shield against Akainu, who punched right through his chest. 

Ace’s death was a major shock to Luffy, who lost his senses. Luckily, Jimbei came to his rescue and carried off Luffy in his arms. 

Akainu gave chase, and as soon as they reached the harbor, he used his magma fist and pierced right through the chest of Jimbei. It also struck Luffy in his chest, giving rise to the famous X scar.

The Face Scar

The origin of the face scar is certainly not as sad as the chest scar. It’s the scar that Luffy started his journey with, and he got it at a very young age. Shanks was indirectly responsible for it because Luffy was inspired by his pirate crew. 

He wanted to go with them on an adventure, but Shanks said no repeatedly. This is why Luffy tried to prove to Shanks that he was brave enough to join their crew and stabbed himself with a dagger under his left eye. 

That caused a noticeable wound that was stitched later and left that lasting scar on his face. Of course, this happened a long time back when Luffy was still immature (not that he is very mature right now, but you get the point). 

One interesting thing about Luffy’s face scar is that it wasn’t shown in the anime. This incident is literally the starting point of the story but got entirely skipped in the anime. You can find it in the manga right after the execution of Gol. D. Roger.

Symbolism

Scars are always meant to represent something, and Luffy’s scars are also no exception in that regard. Luffy’s first scar on his face represents his bravery and innocence. He was still a small kid at that time, but he did not think twice about putting a dagger to his face. 

He was ready from his childhood to do anything it took for his dreams. In turn, it also represents his innocence because he thought that would make Shanks take him along on his journey. 

On the other hand, Luffy’s second X scar represents his loss. It was a moment of weakness and a constant reminder of the fact that he couldn’t save his brother from dying. Luffy is now much stronger than that but he still wears the scar with pride. It is because of that painful incident, Luffy was able to learn Haki and become more qualified to become the king of the pirates!