@Lazzie:
I didn't say you were a fanboy, or at least I didn't mean to. I said that you have a perceived fanboy bias, by which I meant you are quick to label anything that disagrees with your opinion as a fanboy bias.
I'm not normally that way, but through sheer attrition I've adopted that policy; I'm frankly worn out using the same argument to debate different people on the same points. I'm basically using canned responses I have to retype all over again, so (understandably) I am worn out.
Regarding Usopp fanboys, I was very optimistic for his development, as were many people, but with each progressive chapter mentioning him he's fallen further and further out of favour.
I'm just rubbing everything in because, after an outrageous amount of waiting, I can finally say "I told you so".
@Lazzie:
First of all, when did I say he was my favorite character?
Apologies, force of habit.
@Lazzie:
I said I like the guy.
Simmilar to my own views. I do not hate Usopp or like him; I came to admire him a bit more following the Luffy fight since I didn't really care about him earlier, but his development has been so disguting I've taking an antagonistic approach to evaluating his character.
@Lazzie:
And second of all, yes he's a pathetic chicken weakling, but that's part of who he is. Yes, his return was lame, but that apology was almost the only thing that he could have done to return! If you want my thoughts on Usopp's character development in this arc, then go read my long-ass post on the first page of the "was Water 7 important?" thread.
Maybe in time; not right now. But! The point of Usopp in the arc was that Oda baited people into thinking he would get development; not much, yeah, but some. He didn't even get that; instead, he got worse!
@Lazzie:
I wouldn't say his dream is going to Elbaf. His dream is to become a great man of the sea. I personally think that he was lying to himself when he abandoned his nakama and he had wanted to keep travelling with them all along, but let his attachment to Merry get to him, leading to that argument and fight with Luffy. Bottom line is, he wants to keep sailing with Luffy, so that's what he's doing. He's in no great hurry to visit Elbaf.
Already visited, moving on.
@Lazzie:
I don't see how this is a "huge Berserk parallel" when the two manga have very little thematically in common. It's a similar situation to what you described, but I sort of doubt it's a direct parallel. And yes, sometimes plot conventions happen more than once between manga. It's a fact.
Inferences are not facts. I'm saying that Guts - > Griffith, while not thematically simmilar to Usopp - > Luffy, share parallels. That is, one had no ambition and was taken in by the other, but under the wing of the first the second developed ambition and eventually left, causing chaos/mayhem with his absence.
Usopp's dream is a softer version of Luffy's; both characters have simmilar origin stories and have comparable personalities and phyiques.
The key difference is, Luffy has one foot in the realm of kings, while Usopp is still just a pauper.
@Lazzie:
And as to his role in the crew, Usopp is a damn good sharpshooter. Yes, he's a coward, yes, he's a pussy, yes, he does some lame-ass things, but he's damn fine at using ranged weaponry. His role at the very end of the Enies lobby escape and his earlier exploits with cannons and his slingshot have proved that much. Now that their brand new Beast King (or whatever the hell it's called) has some cannons, Usopp's role as a sharpshooter/gunner will be a little more defined and worthwhile.
Usopp's role as a sharpshooter was never disputed. His role as a fighter wasn't disputed; I didn't see his defeat by the FF as humiliating, but Usopp felt it was that way. There's nothing in the manga that specifies that Usopp ever entertainied the thought of being a physical melee fighter; he did what he had to to win, and often that involved his sniping abilities.
@Lazzie:
He has a fuckton to prove. His dream is to become a great man of the sea, and he isn't anywhere near it yet. If he wants to achieve this dream of his, he needs to prove to himself and his nakama that he can be someone brave, dependable, and strong. He isn't anywhere near it yet. Luffy cried not because he was mocking Usopp, but because his best friend is back on the crew and he was happy to see him again. I don't see how that's so hard to believe.
I'm going to have to retract my criticism of Luffy, since he did apologize to Usopp earlier; however, what criteria must be met before Usopp achieves his dream? That's the question of the day.
@Lazzie:
Again, your perceived fanboy bias. Usopp went through a hell of a lot this arc, and is still shooting towards the same dream, but isn't near accomplishing it yet. Again, read my long-ass post from earlier. And I still think that Oda had Usopp return the way he did because that's what he HAD to do: apologize.
Yes, an apology was warranted. Personally, though, I'd have rather seen Usopp sternly apologise, Luffy get all teary, then Usopp get all teary; having Usopp start off like a big baby was just pitiful!
Regarding what Usopp went through, he brought it all on himeslf, so there's no real sympathy from me. The tragic bit is he learned virtually nothing from his actions.
@Lazzie:
So yeah, from this rant of yours, I gather that you really can't stand Usopp, and are willing to make up reasons that Usopp's a worse character than he actually is. He's not my favorite character, but I think that he is a good character, and a worthy crew member. So sue me.
Nah, I'm just a tired old man, worn out from the great war and seeking a good long rest, but I'm not so old as to crack at the whipper-snappers who are inventing character development for a rather, uh, flat person like Usopp.