Anyone watching Gundam Orphans? I'm getting a lot of TTGL vibes from it:
-Main character is a short kid who grew up in shitty conditions and also's kinda fanatic to an "old non-blood brother"? Check.
-Said "old non-blood brother" is super inspiring to all around him and always keeps up a positive attitude? Check.
-Said "old non-blood brother" character goes to start a revolution to get them away from shitty conditions, starting his personal army? Check.
-They pick up a princess preaching for peace who was discarded by her father? Check.
-Loot and pilot enemy mechas gained as spoils of war right away? Check.
Also let's see if anyone can identify the correct name of the following Gundam series based on the hints I give.
-Main characters are taking orders from a corpse in a super tech psionic throne, with religious fanatism levels of devotion.
-At the middle of the series everybody discovers that RED ONES GO FASTAH and start attaching bright red lights to their mechas.
-Orbital bombardment weapons should only be used to shoot at your own civilian structures.
-Mercyless Khorne champion fighting for the sake of fighting.
-Prideful Slaanesh champion who refuses to stay dead after being shot down again so he can go hit on women.
-Trio of Nurgle champions whose Gundams spread death and disease across the planet.
-Arrogant Tzenceth champion pretending to be a pawn when he's actually manipulating everybody's strings from the background.
-Giant metal swords are the ultimate weapon.
(I may've watched a bit too much Gundam recently)
Meanwhile in One Piece, Luffy is kinda the most self-contradicing protagonist ever.
Luffy: I want to be a pirate king!
Actual Pirates: Haaarrr, alrighty matey, let's kill and pillage!
Luffy: Sorry, I'm not into that kind of thing.
Admirers: Lord Luffy, we wish to pledge our alliance to your cause, becoming your loyal subjects! Command us and we shall obey our king!
Luffy: Nope, I'm also not in that whole "giving orders" or "ruling" thingies.
So he wants to be a pirate who doesn't kill/pillage and a king who doesn't have subjects nor to give orders.
Although I guess it's that kind of sillyness that keeps the series interesting.
It's a Man's Romance
It makes sense when you consider that the primary conflict of one piece orients around the divide between the romantic view of pirates, and the cruel reality of pirates. Its Captain Jack Sparrow vs Hector Barbossa; Robin Hood vs the real highwaymen of the time.
Luffy seeks freedom and adventure, while is opponents sacrifice their freedom in the name of greed and power, losing the "romance" of a pirate and becoming a thug with a flag.
But Luffy is a lot closer to being a treasure hunter. Jack Sparrow and Robin Hood at least looted some stuff, but Luffy's all "Ok, I beat you up evil dudes, but I'll let you go away with all your stuff." Wait, he took a flag once from another pirate group. As an organized tournament prize.
Meanwhile plenty of good old "Kill, sail, burn" pirates in One Piece that keep their freedom, it's just the pirate lords with connections with the Navy that have chains attached.