Every member of the Straw Hat Pirates carried a hidden past, only uncovered slowly in their adventures. Author Oda disclosed the backstory of Sanji in the Baratie arc, but little did we know that there was a completely different side of him that had yet to be revealed. Thus, Oda drew a complete picture of Sanji’s past involving the Vinsmoke, which altered our perspectives of the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates. As Sanji’s backstory was revealed in two separate parts at different times, some fans might find it hard to follow to learn about his story. That is why we have put together this article today to explain Sanji’s backstory in chronological order within the One Piece timeline.
Spoilers Warning:
This article contains spoilers about Sanji’s backstory in One Piece. Proceed with caution.
Birth of Sanji and His Connection With the Vinsmoke Family
Sanji was born as a prince to Vinsmoke Judge and Sora in the North Blue, twenty-one years before the current events. The Vinsmoke Family (one of the strongest families in One Piece) is the royal family that rules over the Germa Kingdom. Sanji wasn’t the only child of Judge, as he had three brothers, namely Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, and a sister named Reiju.
It should be noted that Vinsmoke Judge was a scientist who was part of the MADS along with Dr. Vegapunk, Caesar Clown, and Queen. As part of his grand plan for domination in the future, Sanji’s father modified his children’s genetics before birth and turned them into emotionless superhumans. The only exception was Sanji, as his mother, Sora, was against the idea of genetic modification. Thus, she consumed a drug during pregnancy, which preserved Sanji’s humanity and made him a normal human, unlike his siblings.
Being a human among supes, Sanji was a victim of both abuse and bullying from his own kin. Sanji endured relentless bullying at the hands of his three brothers, and it doesn’t stop there. Vinsmoke Judge despised Sanji for not being able to live like a perfect super soldier like his siblings did. Sanji was deemed a failure by his father as he possessed human traits such as empathy, love, compassion, and many more.
Thus, Judge forced Sanji to wear an Iron Mask and imprisoned him in the dungeons of his castle. His father even went to the lengths of declaring that his third son had passed away in an accident. Sanji’s mother died as a result of taking the drugs, which made Sanji a human. Only his sister, Reiju, cared for him and treated his never-ending injuries.
In the end, she helped Sanji escape from their castle and asked him to never return to this place. During his escape, Sanji eventually crossed paths with Judge, but his father didn’t stop him this time. Sanji’s father made it clear that he was free to leave, but only if he kept his true heritage a secret. As Sanji had no desire to be part of Vinsmoke’s legacy, he walked away from his family and renounced his bloodline.
Zeff, The Father Who Stepped Up
After leaving his family, Sanji utilized his cooking skills to become a cook on the Orbit ship. Soon, they were amused by the infamous Red Leg Zeff’s pirate crew, and that’s when Sanji came across Zeff in his life. On the fateful day, both ships were caught in an unexpected storm and went down. However, Sanji was saved by Zeff as he overheard that Sanji’s dream was the same as his final dream, to find the All Blue.
Both Sanji and Zeff ended up stranded on a deserted rocky ledge above the sea. What followed was one of the most tragic events in One Piece history. With nowhere to go and only a little food left, Zeff secretly entrusted the food to Sanji. When the food ran out, Sanji planned to kill Zeff and secure the food he had left. To his shock, Sanji discovered only treasures inside Zeff’s bag. After giving the only remaining food to Sanji, Zeff had to cut and eat his own leg to continue surviving in this no man’s land.
Sanji learned the true nature of Zeff, so he chose to stay by his side and establish the Baratie Restaurant. Zeff stepped up as the father figure in Sanji’s life, and the two developed a beautiful father-son bond over the years. Sanji learned everything he knew from his old man, Zeff. He was the one to teach him about reserving his hands only for cooking and never ever hitting a woman. Furthermore, Zeff was also the reason behind Sanji’s exceptional cooking skills and mastery over kicking martial arts.
Then, Luffy and his crew came into the picture during their visit to the Baratie Restaurant. Luffy refused Sanji’s refusal to join the crew, and eventually, the man joined as the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates to pursue his goal of finding the All Blue.
Sanji – The Cook of the Straw Hats
Since his joining, Sanji has become one of the irreplaceable members of the Straw Hat Pirates. He isn’t just part of the cooking duties as he is one of the formidable combatants of the Monster Trio, along with Luffy and Zoro. Sanji has already been established as the Left Hand Man of his captain and is proudly considered as one of the wings of the future pirate king. Even his captain acknowledged Sanji’s importance in his pirate king journey in the Whole Cake Island arc.
Without you, I can’t become the King of the Pirates – Monkey D. Luffy
Sanji has been the MVP of many arcs in the One Piece story, the recent one being the Egghead Arc. With the arrival of Scopper Gaban in the Elbaf arc, Sanji’s future is much clearer as his role mirrors the former left hand of the pirate king.
That’s everything you need to know about Sanji’s past in One Piece. Without a doubt, Sanji endured one of the most devastating childhoods in One Piece. That said, do you think Sanji has the most sorrowful backstory among the Straw Hats? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
