Despite both being Luffy’s rivals, Trafalgar Law may have achieved a level of popularity so great that Eustass Kid can no longer compete with him.
During One Piece’s Sabaody Archipelago Arc, the Straw Hat Pirates were informally introduced to the Worst Generation. This group of Supernovas was expected to make it big in the New World, at least within the context of the story; according to Eiichiro Oda, most of them were expected to drop out rather quickly. Among these pirates, two of them seemed like a big enough deal to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Luffy– Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law. These two were made out to be around Luffy’s level in Wano, but something was off about this dynamic.
However close these three were in strength, their popularity among the fans was somewhat imbalanced. According to the first global popularity poll, Luffy and Law ranked in the top five, but Kid couldn’t even make it into the top 20. Naturally, Luffy made it to first place because he’s the main character, but that doesn’t quite explain how Law outperformed Kid by so much. As things stand, the Surgeon of Death may have ruined any chances Kid had to reach this level of recognition.
How Did Law Get So Popular?
Law’s disproportionate popularity likely comes from the long time audiences have spent with him. The Surgeon of death had at least two major arcs where he was an important character. First, he helped the Straw Hats on Punk Hazard to kidnap Caesar Clown, which would become important for the Dressrosa Arc that followed. In that arc, Law and Luffy joined forces to defeat the former’s old boss, Donquixote Doflaming. He also tagged along for the Zou Arc. These three arcs alone lasted between 2012 and 2016, which left audiences with plenty of time to get to know this Supernova.
Throughout these arcs, Law received all sorts of development. His backstory, personality, and powers were all broadly expanded upon. It was even revealed that he doesn’t like bread; that doesn’t influence the story, but it goes to show how much everyone got to know about this one Supernova. All of this served to get the audience more familiar with Law and, thus, more endeared to him.
The merchandising reflected all of this attention paid to Law by the story. While there’s probably one way or another to get posters or shirts featuring any Worst Generation member. However, at his peak, Law’s keychains and figurines were presented alongside those of characters like Luffy, Chopper, and Ace; that’s how big he was. His impact on One Piece as a franchise cannot be understated wherever the story goes with him.
Even as his role in the series has leveled out, he is still treated as one of the faces of the Franchise. He got important roles in movies like One Piece: Stampede and One Piece Film: Red; in the former, Kid had to share the spotlight with the rest of the Worst Generation. Law was even featured as a DLC fighter for Jump Force. He may have been meant to be presented as one member of the Worst Generation, but now he receives treatment comparable to important members like Luffy, Zoro, and Blackbeard.
Where Does That Leave Kid?
Compared to Law, Kid has had almost nothing to do since the time-skip happened. During the two major arcs where Law was getting all of his development, Kid was only ever set up as someone Luffy would have a big interaction with in the future. Even when he got to be a key figure in the Wano Arc, he never got the same level of development as Law because there were too many other characters to focus on. He had his moments and they certainly earned him his fans, but not nearly as many as he could have had.
To make matters worse, now that One Piece is in its final saga, Kid may never reach the same level of popularity as Law at his peak. Even if he gets the necessary development, it’s too late into the series’ run to make anything of it. His character might be properly expanded upon in Elbaf, but what happens from there is anyone’s guess.
It’s almost like Law’s unexpected spike in popularity has doomed Kid to relative mediocrity. He might get plenty of keychains or figurines, but he shouldn’t be expected to make key appearances in the movies or Shōnen Jump crossover games any time soon. They might be comparable in terms of strength, but if it’s a matter of popularity and influence, Law is leagues above Kid.
