Anime fans might think Boa Hancock and Luffy’s dynamic is the same as Karin and Sasuke’s but Hancock had every reason to love Luffy in One Piece, unlike Karin.

SUMMARY

A Redditor compares Boa Hancock’s love for Luffy to Karin’s love for Sasuke, both being cringe in their perspective.
Boa Hancock, despite being more than a decade older than Luffy, does genuinely love him for the right reasons and never lost her character arc.
Karin, on the other hand, was almost killed by Sasuke and she was still in love with him. Worst of all, Kishimoto barely gave her a story of her own.

The mischaracterization of women in anime is the reason behind the downfall of many. In Naruto, it’s especially jarring how the female characters exist solely as the love interests of the male characters without having fleshed-out personalities. Even when you think you’re promised one, it fizzles out.

A prime example of this is Karin from Naruto. Even after Sasuke tried to kill her, she still loved and fawned after him heavily. She had way more potential in the series, especially since she’s an Uzumaki, but Kishimoto made Sasuke her entire personality instead of fleshing her out more.

Karin and Sasuke from Naruto. [Credit: Studio Pierrot]

One Redditor compared their dynamic to Boa Hancock’s feelings for Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece. However, there’s a striking difference between the two women. While very much disinterested in Hancock, Luffy never harmed or mistreated her. He does the opposite of what the Snake Princess believes men would do to any woman, making her feelings for him more justified.

Boa Hancock might go overboard but her feelings for Luffy are genuine

Boa Hancock defends Luffy from Smoker in One Piece. [Credit: Toei Animation]

In One Piece, Amazon Lily is the place Luffy was sent to after Bartholomew Kuma separated the crew. He met Boa Hancock, the captain of the Kuja Pirates and the current Empress of her land. However, the circumstances were less than ideal as she was naked and didn’t want anybody to see her back. To her surprise, he didn’t care.

Hancock’s past was horrifying. She and her sisters were enslaved by Celestial Dragons. Although they escaped, they bear the marks on their backs. She’s already quite cautious of men after being surrounded by only women her entire life and her life in slavery didn’t help.

However, Luffy defied all of her expectations. The boy is incredibly selfless, choosing to save the girls rather than himself, covering Boa Sandersonia’s back when her mark was exposed. He didn’t fawn over Hancock’s beauty when that’s all men did. He stands up for what he believes in, even punching a Celestial Dragon.

So, it’s completely justifiable that she loves him. But, unlike most anime women, her story doesn’t revolve around him and it’s not like she suddenly can’t fend for herself, being the one to defend Luffy in Marineford.

She’s content with just being friends, despite her numerous proposals. Their only flaw is the huge age gap. However, as this Redditor says, it’s leagues ahead of Karin’s love for Sasuke which should’ve ended with him trying to kill her.

Karin deserved a better story arc beyond Sasuke

Karin from Naruto. [Credit: Studio Pierrot]

Unlike Boa Hancock, Karin didn’t have much of a personality to begin with. She fawns over Sasuke after he saves her and her character revolves around being in love with him. However, she had more potential than just Sasuke’s admirer. She is an Uzumaki but Masashi Kishimoto doesn’t try to address it.

While Eiichiro Oda isn’t the best at romance, he did handle Boa Hancock’s arc with grace. She is no less of a Kuja Pirate Captain or an Empress than she was after knowing Luffy. Karin, on the other hand, deserved a better arc that didn’t revolve around Sasuke