Tony Tony Chopper (トニートニー・チョッパー, Tonī Tonī Choppā), otherwise known as “Cotton Candy Lover”, is a fictional character in the manga series One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda. He is the fifth member to join and the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. Chopper is frequently featured on official merchandise, serving as a mascot for the series.
The power of the Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit (ヒトヒトの実, Hito Hito no Mi) provides him with the ability to transform into a full-sized reindeer or a reindeer-human hybrid.[ch. 140] A drug he calls “Rumble Ball” (ランブル・ボール, Ranburu Bōru) enables him to perform even more transformations for a short time.[ch. 149][ch. 1014]
Rejected by his herd because of his blue nose and eating the Devil Fruit, Chopper is rescued by Drum Island’s quack doctor Doctor Hiriluk. While developing a potion to create cherry blossoms when in contact with snow, Chopper is heartbroken when Hiriluk falls ill with a deadly disease. After Hiriluk’s death, Doctor Kureha takes him in as his mentor. After the Straw Hats arrive at Drum Island and take Chopper with them, Kureha uses Hiriluk’s potion to turn the snowy sky into cherry blossoms, fulfilling Hiriluk’s life mission. When complimented, Chopper acts flustered and sometimes yells at the person who complimented him to stop trying to make him happy.[ch. 140] A running gag within the series is when other characters mistake him as a Tanuki, and he angrily corrects them, pointing out that he is a Tonakai (Japanese for “Reindeer”).
With Chopper’s back story, Oda wanted to illustrate that one need not be blood-related to be considered family.[4]
[5][6] When asked by a fan what the nationalities of the members of the Straw Hat Pirates would be if One Piece was set in the real world, Oda replied that Chopper would be Canadian.[7]
Chopper is initially labeled a monster, leading to him to being ostracized. Chopper is very naïve, and has a tendency to believe anything told to him, even the outrageously fictitious, exaggerated lies of Usopp. Chopper loves to be complimented and is incapable of hiding his feelings. After the time-skip he embraces his status because he wants to be a “monster for Luffy.”
