Tashigi

Captain Tashigi is a Marine officer serving under Vice Admiral Smoker in the base of G-5. She was originally introduced as a Master Chief Petty Officer in Loguetown but was promoted to Ensign after the events in Arabasta. During the timeskip, she was promoted to Captain. Due to her actions, she can be considered a supporting antagonist during the Loguetown Arc, but she and Smoker temporarily teamed up with the Straw Hats during the end of the Arabasta Saga and the Punk Hazard Arc. Tashigi has dark brown eyes and wears her black hair between chin- and shoulder-length. She looks remarkably similar to the late Kuina, Zoro's childhood friend. She wears rectangular glasses with red frames. Before the timeskip, she was seen wearing short-sleeved shirts of varying different colors and designs but usually covered them with her white-trimmed, waist-length blue leather coat. She tended to wear blue jeans with black shoes but has also paired white capris with tan shoes. Her face and hair have changed slightly several times since her introduction, especially noticeably in Chapter 439. However, it is not clear whether this was an intentional redesign or simply a result of the author's continually evolving art style and the length of time she had been out of the spotlight. After the timeskip, her hair is much longer and now pinned up by a clip. She still wears glasses and her figure has become more feminine than it was two years ago. She was seen wearing a floral button-down shirt, blue capris, dark pink gloves with a white trim, and dark pink boots. Having achieved the rank of captain, she replaced her blue coat with a pink version of the standard Marine officers' coat. As with Hina, Tashigi's subordinates tend to fawn over her, but it is clear that they also respect her as their superior. Tashigi was first introduced when the Straw Hat Pirates docked in Loguetown, where she was stationed. Smoker, her superior officer, seems to regard her as a protege, and the two work very well together. Despite her proficiency in sword fighting, she is usually clumsy, which gets on Smoker's nerves. She is extremely interested in katanas, often identifying their names and origins on sight; even when in danger, she may be distracted by the presence of a famed blade. During the Loguetown Arc, she was even shown carrying what seemed to be a pocket Meito field guide. Tashigi is very brave and reckless when fighting her opponents, a trait typical of swordswomen and swordsmen. She will battle anyone she considers an enemy, regardless of their reputation. This fighting spirit often turns into carelessness and has led to her defeat on several occasions, much to Smoker's disdain. Two examples would be her fight against Nico Robin, during which her knee was broken, and her fight against Law, during which she was cut in half. She is also stubborn and may refuse to accept defeat if she feels she has been looked down upon, as seen when she demanded a rematch with Zoro, indignant that he didn't cut her down. She even refused to give up after Law separated her torso from her legs and chopped Shigure in half. Her endless determination could be interpreted as a "sore loser" attitude, but it seems to derive from her desire to protect what is important to her. Like Smoker, Tashigi's definition of "justice" differs from that of the Marines as a whole, and she does not hesitate to fight in its defense. Her stated goal is to remove all Meito from the hands of those who would use them for their own selfish ambitions. Despite her distaste for pirates, Tashigi is willing to work with them and abandon her Marine pride if she deems it necessary for the greater good. Tashigi felt that, as a swordswoman, she would be perceived as inferior to swordsmen by default, and she accused Zoro of refusing to cut her because of her gender. She also felt insulted when Law cut her without killing her. As a swordswoman, she would rather face death than be shamefully defeated. However, this does not stop her from trying hard to get stronger and achieve her dreams. Tashigi wears her shirts buttoned up higher and shows less cleavage than many other female characters, indicating that she is somewhat reserved about her body. This was especially apparent when she was trapped in Smoker's body, as she wore his jacket fully closed and protested heavily when Smoker (trapped in her body) took off her bra and wore her shirt completely unbuttoned. Her shyness was also shown when she screamed in embarrassment after returning to her body and finding it in that state of undress. One of Tashigi's most prominent character traits is her absentmindedness. When Smoker was chasing after Luffy during the Arabasta Arc, she failed to recognize the situation until Smoker told her what to do. In the anime, she had a brief but polite interaction with Chopper without realizing that he was a talking reindeer. The most significant example of her oblivious nature was when, in the Loguetown Arc, Tashigi spent a very long time failing to realize that the three-swords-carrying, haramaki-wearing swordsman she had befriended was, in fact, the three-swords-carrying, haramaki-wearing Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro.