Does Ussop intend be a sniper/sharpshooter anymore?

Yonkou3

This is a just a short summary of my ideas (I'll edit with more detail later) but it seems ever since he saved Robin from the tower of justice that Ussop hasnt given his sharp shooting skills a second thought.

All his battles since then are

Vs. Marine Captains
Vs. Bustercall
Vs. Suprise Zombies
Vs. General Zombies (I think)
Vs. Perona
Vs. Odz
Vs. Kuma
Vs. FFR
Vs. Marines
Vs. PX1
Vs. Vs. Kizaru, Sentomaru, PX?, Kuma

Now out of these battles the one that made me bring this up was versus the flying fish riders. After watching episode 389 it occured to me that Ussop wasnt using his Kabuto at all really. Despite him holding it when Luffy shouts "To battle!". It seems that in a situation where there are many moving targets flying outside of the range of most of the crew a sharpshooters skills would be the most appreciated and it would be a good test of Ussop's skills, yet he doesnt shoot down ANY and doesnt get involved at all untill Franky reveals the Gaon cannon. Meanwhile Sanji is jumping in the air, robin is clutching, and luffy is punching. All tactis that while yes WERE, effective were not the BEST means to handle the situation. It makes me wonder if he's even attempting to become a better marksmen or he just gave up or perhaps never intended(?) to get any better.

Thoughts, opinions, facts, feelings are apprecaited.

Blackeye

He used shooting attack both against the Zombies, Perona and Odz. And if I dont remember wrong, against PX1 too… So I dont understand what you're talking about.

flandrian15

I think Ussop isn't just a sharpshooter. He tries to be original and perhaps doesn't intend to be the best sniper or something but have a good arsenal of interesting and efective moves. BTW he allready IS a rather good sniper so now it seems to be more about the arsenal and the strength of his attacks. . .

Just my thaughts though

And on TB he tried shooting Kuma, he shot Odz and what Blackeye said

Yonkou3

I'll try to do a quick ellaboration. Yes he did all those things you said, but out of all of them the only one that actually consisted of sniping or sharpshooting was against perona. He did do an impressive job dismantiling her zombies with his salt star. However the rest of the time he was shooting giant flaming birds against big targets. Yes he hit them, i'm not discrediting him for that but where is the sniping, 100% accuracy, hit a snail in the eye ussop from back in the day? I understand that his bullets wouldnt work against odz and kuma but against the riders, marines on sabondy, even sentomaru he could have used them and been of assistance.

Then there's the issue of the times when he flat out fails with his sniping such as the capatins of buster call and Perona dodging his shots. I mean i could understand him not hitting EVERY target, EVERY time but it seems like if you're going to be a world class sniper then you'd get it right when it's life or death like those times were. And then he clearly doesnt seem to attempt to better his aim or w.e it is a sniper would do to get better, since he isnt shown sniping again in his next few battles.

My thoughts are kind of all over the place now and like i said i'll be back to organize them beter but i'm hoping you get the idea now.

flandrian15

but perhaps that is going to change now with the (perhaps) training islands. I was allready thinking that Ussops weapon was to weak for the new world. I mean, kabuto is great but it is a slingshot and probably shoots slower then a gun or something so he might want to get an upgrade or something because stronger opponents will easily dodge it. I am not saying I'm big on guns (because I think that is totally to unimaginative for the likes of the great capitan Ussop) but he should do something with his weapon that has far greater power, reach and flexibility. Perhaps a kabuto+DF but I hope not because Ussop can make great weapons (clima tact for instance I think is great)

DaeJi

I don't think the Kabuto is lacking in power as a weapon. Nor is it lacking in range or speed; just look at what he did with it at Enies Lobby. The only other range weapon shown to be anywhere near as good (and I will admit, maybe a little better) is Van Auger's rifle.

As for Usopp himself, while he has great sniping powers, the enemies he fights tend to be, well, close. There aren't the many people encountered so far that are more powerful at long range than close range; even people with range capabilities tend to fight up close. I do think that Usopp should get more fights (a lot more fights; him and Robin are kinda screwed over in that aspect of the manga) and those fights should make use of his sniping skills. Even if it doesn't happen anytime soon, there is hope for a sniper fight with Usopp, between him and Van Auger.

zullzero

Usopp has a talent for sharpshooting, and that's obvious. If you follow the manga, he might be upgrading his weaponry a bit. He can do that too, as he obviously has a talent for it (you don't see a lot of other weapons quite like his in the series).

He also works as a helmsman, rides the bike to pump water, swabs the deck, and does all the other little things that a good seaman does. Being on a ship, a tightly enclosed area with a bunch of other people, requires that you pay more attention to that kind of detail. You can't just put a bunch of people with super powers on a boat and expect them to just rock, you need a guy to fix a sail or fix a rudder. Considering Usopp has aspired to be a pirate throughout his entire childhood just like Luffy, and unlike Luffy, hasn't had a special power to train, he's taught himself all the other things that are just as important. You can't run a ship without a proper bilge pump…or people will get sick, fast. You've got to have someone to fix that pump and ride the bike to pump the water. You've got to have someone to aim a cannon properly. Doesn't matter if you're facing some average schmoe pirate, or a General.

Taking care of those practical details of really running a ship is what Usopp does best. What, you think Nami would want to fix the bilge pump? Zoro? Heck no. Usopp knows that it's got to happen, and he does it.

Yonkou3

I'm not knocking ussop for doing other things or saying he doesnt do enough, just to clarify. I want to know however if you belive ussop wants to be a sharpshooter/sniper anymore. So far it seems like you've all said no without actually being clear and saying no. XD

well you dont seem to take into account that the stronger luffys crew gets…........the closer they get to shanks..........result

ussop and yassop will meet
(this is where the $h1t hits the fan for yassop)

my thought are that ussop will challenge his father, so he cant give up on his sniper abilities if this were to happen

DaeJi

@Yonkou#3:

I'm not knocking ussop for doing other things or saying he doesnt do enough, just to clarify. I want to know however if you belive ussop wants to be a sharpshooter/sniper anymore. So far it seems like you've all said no without actually being clear and saying no. XD

I think you're looking at it in the wrong way: Usopp never wanted to be a sniper, it was never his goal. He just is a sniper.His goal is to be a brave warrior of the sea (i.e. not a coward). That's what he wants to be. His sniping abilities are just how he fights. Kind of like how Sanji isn't trying to be a super-strength fighting monster, he just is one.

Airflow

@Yonkou#3:

This is a just a short summary of my ideas (I'll edit with more detail later) but it seems ever since he saved Robin from the tower of justice that Ussop hasnt given his sharp shooting skills a second thought.

All his battles since then are

Vs. Marine Captains
Vs. Bustercall
Vs. Suprise Zombies
Vs. General Zombies (I think)
Vs. Perona
Vs. Odz
Vs. Kuma
Vs. FFR
Vs. Marines
Vs. PX1
Vs. Vs. Kizaru, Sentomaru, PX?, Kuma

Now out of these battles the one that made me bring this up was versus the flying fish riders. After watching episode 389 it occured to me that Ussop wasnt using his Kabuto at all really. Despite him holding it when Luffy shouts "To battle!". It seems that in a situation where there are many moving targets flying outside of the range of most of the crew a sharpshooters skills would be the most appreciated and it would be a good test of Ussop's skills, yet he doesnt shoot down ANY and doesnt get involved at all untill Franky reveals the Gaon cannon. Meanwhile Sanji is jumping in the air, robin is clutching, and luffy is punching. All tactis that while yes WERE, effective were not the BEST means to handle the situation. It makes me wonder if he's even attempting to become a better marksmen or he just gave up or perhaps never intended(?) to get any better.

Thoughts, opinions, facts, feelings are apprecaited.

Lets see

Vs Marine Captains and Buster Call- Not sure what you're talking about here as he did use his sharpshooting skills here, he repeatedly shot marines down from the air and dealt with that guy Zoro was fighting from a distance. Not very impressive perhaps but the whole point of the buster call was that they were surrounded and that they had no where to run to, forcing Ussop to use his Kabuto at short range.

Vs surprise zombies and General Zombies- I can remember very little of this but wasn't the whole point of the surprise zombies to,you know, surprise them. I.E Ussop had no chance to set up a sniping position and was forced to use his Kabuto at close range. And I'm pretty sure he never fought General Zombies as he was in Perona's garden at the time.

Vs Perona- He did use his sniping skills here, to great effect.

Vs Oz- He also used them here, though to a lesser degree. He fired that slippery stuff exactly underneath where Oz's hand was when he was falling, he aimed Franky and Brook directly at Oz and he shot that bag of salt into Oz's mouth. He used his skills as much as the rest of the crew did.

Vs Kuma-Ussop kinda got blown up here.

Vs FFR- Wasn't he chosen to use the Gaon cannon because he was such a good shot that he could take out most of them in one blow. Also I vaguely recall him sniping some of them with a cannon in that fight, I'm probably wrong though.

Vs Marines- He was running for his life, he's hardly going to show off leet sniping skills

Vs PX1- He did use his talents here, he shot that missile directly into PX1's mouth which caused it to self-destruct.

Vs Kizaru, Sentomaru, PX?, Kuma- Oh I know, let's trying sniping a guy who's five feet away from me, can turn into light, blind me, move at the speed of light and has just destroyed my crew's second most powerful member in one hit.

So yeah Ussop's still Sogeking.

onemoment

One thing the opening post is missing is that Usopp was shooting down Flying Fish riders with a cannon, which frankly is close enough to "sniping." As long as they go down, who cares which gun he uses?

The thing is though, being a sniper is a low priority for Usopp. Yes, it's his talent, but it's also his natural talent. He can develop it anytime. The priority is becoming a "brave warrior of the sea" and being as useful to the crew as possible. If sniping is the way to do either of those, only then does it become important. Sniping is a means to an end. I would say, don't worry about Usopp and sniping–it's a detail that will only hurt if you get hung up on it.

Jane Doe

what if this is an indication that usopp will move away from slingshot and become the ship's gunman?

like his father

Zkaiser

@Jane:

what if this is an indication that usopp will move away from slingshot and become the ship's gunman?

like his father

He kinda was always the gunman ^_^;

One of the first thing he did on the ship was snipe a rock with Merry's cannon. Immediately afterward he was appointed sniper by Luffy.

AlnaJames

Usopp`s finall opponent is Auger. Thus, sooner or later he should become the best SNIPER, nothing else :B

iLLumess

I think Ussop's position as a sniper is pretty secure. He might expand on his abilities, but when it comes down to it, there is no one else in the crew that is as good a sniper as him. Unless someone else on the crew suddenly becomes insanely good at sniping, Ussop will remain the sniper/sharpshooter.

jlo81

just my wishful thinking, i hope ussop will face a sniper kinda pirate for him to further prove his sniping skills for preparation for his battle with auger.

AlnaJames

As much as I do love Usopp and respect his attempts to keep his very own weapon he had since childhood, I honestly cant see how Kabuto (or a more improoved slingshot of any kind) can ever match Augers Senriku.
And only GOD know how much I would love to see more Snipers in One Piece. We only seen what, 5? *counting the guy from Bellamys crew who never done anything and whom well probably never see again and Daddy from the not-so-filler in Logue Town

Jane Doe

daddy the father

Cyanotic

Every time there's no chapter people take it upon themselves to make a topic about every little thought that enters their head.

AlnaJames

@Cyanotic:

Every time there's no chapter people take it upon themselves to make a topic about every little thought that enters their head.

Well this topic is quite interesting, though there is not much we can talk about really… You have no idea how much of a heart brake I feel everytime new swordsman appears in the series... Snipership gets no love.

Yonkou3

@Cyanotic:

Every time there's no chapter people take it upon themselves to make a topic about every little thought that enters their head.

You bet your sweet bippy we do. Now get outta here ya sword fanboy. XD

Deicide

At least in the manga, against the Flying Fish Rider, Usopp was using the Sunny's cannons before Franky told him about the Gaon Cannon.

well doesn't anyone think he will strive to be better so that he can beat yassop
(im going to have to watch the 'daddy the father' episode i think)

m00n

@Cyanotic:

Every time there's no chapter people take it upon themselves to make a topic about every little thought that enters their head.

Boredom lead to much dumber topics in the past. I like this one.

Also I think Usopp will the top sniper in the end. Don't seeing him practice doesn't mean hes not improving. From the very beginning his problem was rather a lack of confidence than a lack of skill. Compared with Zoro or Luffy he started a lot closer to perfect his skills. Subsequently his ambition is not to become the greatest sniper, but to become a brave worrier. He already is a top tier sniper once he decides to use his skills. Shooting Spandam at Enies Lobby isn't that far away from what Auger did at Jaya.

Xelso

the thing is, we dont realy get many snipers in pirate crews. they were given much importance when ussop appeared, but as the story continued they were put aside to watch. some thing that confuses me is what part plays yasop in shanks crew? if he is just a sniper i dont understand how come he is one of the top wariors (assuming he is, there is no info on that)… i seriously would like if snipers were given more credit but i doubt.

RomanceDawn

@Al!naJames:

As much as I do love Usopp and respect his attempts to keep his very own weapon he had since childhood, I honestly cant see how Kabuto (or a more improoved slingshot of any kind) can ever match Augers Senriku.
And only GOD know how much I would love to see more Snipers in One Piece. We only seen what, 5? *counting the guy from Bellamys crew who never done anything and whom well probably never see again and Daddy from the not-so-filler in Logue Town

Though Usopps bullets may not penetrate like a rifle or another gun(as far as we know now) the one thing Usopp has over all of his other opponents that use fire arms, is that Usopp can use a HUGE variety of ammunition. We know that the Kabuto can shoot farther than the average rifle, couple that with almost any type of weapon Usopp can think up, that makes him pretty powerfull.

Only thing is, it seems like every time he shoots someone with an explosive star it does squat. Mr # that bomb man, Mr 1, Chu, seems like no one could be touched by them. Except for the unimportant bystanders, it seemed like everyone could withstand the explosions which makes Usopp seem even weaker. That is until he lands one of them inside PX1's mouth, that was awesome! I wonder how well a fire bird star would do against Aokiji? Wouldn't beat him, but I bet it would hurt.

Any way those of you stated Usopp isn't trying to be the best sniper are correct. That was never his goal, nor does it ever appear that he is dealing with his sharp shooting ability like zoro does with his swords. He gets better by thinking up new tricks, and creating new ammunition.

Everyone has at least one talent in which they are perfect. Usopp is already a perfect marksman, just his opponents are just quick enough to get out of the way. Though its funny how he can hit is own share of cannon balls in mid air, 3 at a time even.

AlnaJames

@m00n:

Shooting Spandam at Enies Lobby isn't that far away from what Auger did at Jaya.

Sogeking shoot Spandam with a quite large explosive thing right in his body from the tower on the same platform while Auger shoot the seagulls that were flying in the sky with small bullets from the island that still were not visible in the binoculars. I mean, yeah, what Sogeking did was quite impressive, but it is FAR from what Auger did.

ultEmate

@Al!naJames:

Sogeking shoot Spandam with a quite large explosive thing right in his body from the tower on the same platform while Auger shoot the seagulls that were flying in the sky with small bullets from the island that still were not visible in the binoculars. I mean, yeah, what Sogeking did was quite impressive, but it is FAR from what Auger did.

Auger have rifle with snipe scope. And you know, sling or bow requires FAR more skill to shoot at such distances. You need strong arms to hold a bow string, you need to consider wind speed much more, because of superior bullet speed it much less affected by it. Ballistic far more complicated too. Also Sogeking shoot spandam with little shell, which explodes on contact with target. It's not like he have "clever" bombs with range detectors, which explode when passes by.

@alianajames

i think your definately right about van augers awesomeness….........BUT

you have to take into account that although van auger has better range, ussop has more destructive power in his shots, as well as a variation of attacks, which so far van auger hasn't shown, so perhaps if ussop had the same style of weapon then van auger we could make a better comparison...

also ussop made his weapon and the clima-tact, so what's to say he wont perfect it more, as im sure after franky returns he shall have all sorts of info that could help.

ultEmate

@John:

i think your definately right about van augers awesomeness….........BUT

you have to take into account that although van auger has better range, ussop has more destructive power in his shots, as well as a variation of attacks, which so far van auger hasn't shown, so perhaps if ussop had the same style of weapon then van auger we could make a better comparison...

Huuh? I'm saying that I praise usopp's skill much more that van augers. Mb you wanted to quote Alina?

m00n

@Al!naJames:

Sogeking shoot Spandam with a quite large explosive thing right in his body from the tower on the same platform while Auger shoot the seagulls that were flying in the sky with small bullets from the island that still were not visible in the binoculars. I mean, yeah, what Sogeking did was quite impressive, but it is FAR from what Auger did.

I'd say it's not far away in terms of usefullness in a battle. Do you think there will ever be a situation in which Usopp has to shoot someone 20 miles away? I'm almost willing to bet that a fight between Auger and Usopp would not exceed one mile range. Being good at hide and seek and make sure every single one of your moves is effective is what I imagine that battle to be. Not the first shot kill like in a real sniper duel. Thats just not shounen like. And also the reason why sniper battles are so rare. They can't go shoot each other for 5 episodes without looking tremendously dumb.

@ultEmate:

Huuh? I'm saying that I praise usopp's skill much more that van augers. Mb you wanted to quote Alina?

yeah i meant to, i have know idea how it happened:wassat:

AlnaJames

M00n - but we were not talking about usefullness in a battle, but about sniper skills
As I already sad - yes, Usopp is awesome, but slingshot will be a slingshot. He is working on his battle skills, but I honestly dont see any improovment in his snipership since the very beginning. He was always very cool at shooting, but no matter how awesome he gets with his Kabuto he wont be able to match the firegun, especially one like Augers.

you have to take into account that although van auger has better range, ussop has more destructive power in his shots, as well as a variation of attacks, which so far van auger hasn't shown, so perhaps if ussop had the same style of weapon then van auger we could make a better comparison…

Im not quite agree with you here - while Usopp intended to take the enemies down without killing them (since Strawhats never kill their enimies as you know), Augers aim was to kill gulls quickly and painfulles, without making much sound and fuss. Just imagine gulls exploading in the sky :wassat:
And excuse me, how much of screentime did Usopp have and compare it to Auger`s … Not to mention Yasopp whom we hardly even seen shooting...

Capt Haggis

@Al!naJames:

M00n - but we were not talking about usefullness in a battle, but about sniper skills
As I already sad - yes, Usopp is awesome, but slingshot will be a slingshot. He is working on his battle skills, but I honestly dont see any improovment in his snipership since the very beginning. He was always very cool at shooting, but no matter how awesome he gets with his Kabuto he wont be able to match the firegun, especially one like Augers.

I disagree. Kabato maybe a slingshot, but it's been highly modified with dials. It can easily match a gun. Remember when he did he sniping at EL. The marines rifles couldn't even shoot at him with that range and wind.

Plus I doubt a gun would work with ussop's special ammo. They blow up without leaving the barrel. And with kabato he can fire multiple shots at dfferent angles, and have them curve in midair. Van auger may have more power and range, but I like to see him do that.

Ao Kiji

Usopp's goal is to be a brave warrior. Not the BEST sniper ever.
He doesn't need to use his sniping skills to solve every damn problem the way Zoro has to use his blades.

actually i change my mind…............reason?

when usopp was snipering at enies lobby he was limited in terms of distance from his weapon, therefore it can be assumed that although he hasn't shot as far as van auger, he might be able to if he had a longer range weapon, but seems to stick to using kabuto because of its amount of attacks and destructive capability, im sure if he had the same weapon as van auger he might be on par or at least alot better than he has shown so far.....

1010011010

i'd like to mention how van auger wasn't fighting the seagulls- there wasn't a battle atmosphere he was leisurely shooting at gulls. although seeing him shoot at ace and have ace shoot back, he didn't seem scared but more calculating and calm, usopp on the other hand is not calm in battle.

Silvers_Rayleigh

Usopp uses his brain more than he uses his skills imo

AlnaJames

@Ao:

Usopp's goal is to be a brave warrior. Not the BEST sniper ever.
He doesn't need to use his sniping skills to solve every damn problem the way Zoro has to use his blades.

Well if it wasn`t clear that Usopp is going to fight with Auger when Strawhats and Blackbeards clash, then your point would be right
@1010011010:

i'd like to mention how van auger wasn't fighting the seagulls- there wasn't a battle atmosphere he was leisurely shooting at gulls. although seeing him shoot at ace and have ace shoot back, he didn't seem scared but more calculating and calm, usopp on the other hand is not calm in battle.

Speaking of this, I was kinda disspointed to see he could not do any harm to the goddamn logia Geeez, thouse fruits.

Hiroy

If he stuffed a gun with Sea Stone….

m00n

imagines Usopp shoting seastones into df users mouths

AlnaJames

Nah that would be cheating. Besides, no matter how much fandom talks about kairoseki bullets and kairoseki swords, there is not a single mention of that in the series… Probably there is a reason for that :B

Hiroy

Maybe Oda is saving that for another seemingly-impossible or desperate moment. There has to be Marine units out there that take a DF's weakness to its full advantage, rather than steel nets. I mean, it could be wrong for the government to hand such existing weapons to lower rank marines. So far, Smoker is the only guy that has a weapon with the properties.

1010011010

@Al!naJames:

Nah that would be cheating. Besides, no matter how much fandom talks about kairoseki bullets and kairoseki swords, there is not a single mention of that in the series… Probably there is a reason for that :B

it could be expensive and hard to shape maybe brittle and only excesable to marines

they cant give it to all soliders because it's expensive, and other marine would rather get a good sword than pay 10 times more for a sword thats much weaker than a normal one and only works against DF users

also when your in a fire fight, you don't want to be spewing seaston all over the battle feild pirates might et ahold of them later and shoot aokiji in the head

m00n

@Al!naJames:

Nah that would be cheating. Besides, no matter how much fandom talks about kairoseki bullets and kairoseki swords, there is not a single mention of that in the series… Probably there is a reason for that :B

Yeah I know the Strawhats will probably never uses them at all. Zorror tried once and failed. That it, I guess. You could shoot a stone btw. Old canon balls where nothing but roughtly round stones. No need for a bullet. I agree it won't happen though.

Ao Kiji

Well if it wasn`t clear that Usopp is going to fight with Auger when Strawhats and Blackbeards clash, then your point would be right

You dont have to beat the world's best sniper using sniping.
I don't actually think Usopp will fight him using purely sniping if he does end up battling Auger.

It's not breaking any code or stepping on fan's toes if Usopp used all his tricks to win the fight. Like I said, Usopp isnt trying to be the world's greatest anything. It doesnt really matter if he outsnipes Auger or just simply "wins". Not to mention, Usopp has NEVER relied on pure sniping in a single fight he's had in the entire series so far.

well it would seem likely that van auge will fight ussop as the rest of the crew match up well with the sh pirates…...
van auge-ussop
liffite-brooke
burgess-franky
doc Q-chopper
Bb-luffy

im not sure on jesus burgess, he is the helmsman so....................

m00n

@John:

well it would seem likely that van auge will fight ussop as the rest of the crew match up well with the sh pirates…...
van auge-ussop
liffite-brooke
burgess-franky
doc Q-chopper
Bb-luffy

im not sure on jesus burgess, he is the helmsman so....................

One step further to off topic: However you match them up theres not enogh BB pirates. So what will the rest of the Strawhats do?
Be stunned by Usopps sniping skills?

Sven Volfied

@John:

actually i change my mind…............reason?

when usopp was snipering at enies lobby he was limited in terms of distance from his weapon, therefore it can be assumed that although he hasn't shot as far as van auger, he might be able to if he had a longer range weapon, but seems to stick to using kabuto because of its amount of attacks and destructive capability, im sure if he had the same weapon as van auger he might be on par or at least alot better than he has shown so far.....

I think that's an unfair statement. Usopp was limited in terms of sniping spots.Who knows if he could've hit targets further away, the top of Enies Lobby was was the only viable spot to snipe from.