What Are Popular Usopp X Perona Fanfiction Tropes?

There are a few ways that Usopp and Perona are treated in Usopp/Perona fanwork. Most of all, the two are looked at through the lens of their dramatic qualities and through a few very common story patterns. First, the vast majority of stories that feature the two begin with their Drama Club conflict having taken place on Thriller Bark, before gradually evolving into an unlikely alliance after that. This is particularly common in stories in which the two are forced to rely on each other in some way (either because they are stuck together or because each of them brings a different skill to the table, as Usopp brings ingenuity and Perona brings Hollows). This is a great area to explore for both comedic and deeply emotional stories, in part because there is such a contrast between the grounded yet sometimes irrational fears of Usopp the liar and the detached, whimsical spookiness of Perona the ghost princess.

Storytelling of the “after timeskip” type is quite typical for this pairing as well. Since they both have changed a great deal after years, this adds a lot of new angles to their interactions. A good example of this is the story where Perona searches for the Straw Hats, specifically for Usopp, the man who defeated her and whom she wants to see for herself. Now a very different person, Usopp is no longer that meek and afraid man she used to mock all the time, but a confident “brave warrior of the sea”. Perona is clearly very impressed with the new Usopp and his reputation, and while the older Usopp would have probably only been mortified by the “ghost princess”’, new Usopp is endearingly uneasy with her.

Also, I have found a lot of ‘comfort’ or ‘healing’ stories. The stories follow both of them as they come to terms with the loss they have had to deal with, in Usopp’s case his self-doubt as a fighter and in Perona’s case, the abandonment by Moria. The majority of the comfort stories depict both of them slowly realizing the other person’s vulnerability, leading to intimate conversations where they can drop their personas. It is a really sweet read as it’s not so much a romance, but more of two people who can finally be themselves around the other person. Perona’s ghost powers or Usopp’s workshop are typically used as a background for their intimate moments together.

In addition to the single- Unovapaired story, the Usopp/Perona pairing is also often written in crossover or alternate universe settings – with examples ranging from paranormal investigators to real ghosts, to rival artists in an alternate version of the One Piece universe, with Usopp possibly being a sculptor or inventor, and Perona a gothic fashion designer or blogger. The core of their pairing is the contrast between their two visual styles and personalities, and fans love to mix and match these in all sorts of different scenarios – from forced proximity to post-canon! The pairing is also frequently written with an emotional focus, and can have a deep and affecting side to the fun that is the pairing of exaggerated bravado with gothic whimsy. A great deal of fun can be had with the two characters, and their writer’s have certainly had fun, often managing to balance the dramatic pouts of the ghost princess with the frantic gestures of the cowardly liar.