Of Course ‘One Piece’ Fans Are Horny for a Hot Murder Clown

Ahead of the release of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece, fans anticipated what the possible consequences would be if the series was actually, miraculously good. There could be an increased One Piece fanbase (more nakama!), bigger and more fan events coming stateside, or simply a second season—itself a win, considering the legacy of the anime. Waves upon waves of viral thirst videos featuring a man whose clown nose is his actual, biological nose was perhaps not on many fans’ bingo cards.

And yet, social media—namely TikTok—has been thoroughly populated by Buggy the Clown thirst videos this last week, with many earning hundreds of thousands of views. Fanart of Buggy has simultaneously reached a new renaissance. Before the live-action show’s premiere, most One Piece fans would’ve conjectured that thirst videos would target the swordsman Zoro (smoldering!),the kickin’ cook Sanji (charming!), or pirate idol Shanks (HOT). Instead, the most lusted after by a ridiculously sizable margin is Buggy, a man whose name Luffy cannot properly remember to save his life, and whose nose pores are more visible in live action than ever before.

Many of the TikToks are just straight, unironic compilations of moments of Buggy from the Netflix adaptation. “FANTASIZE” by Mari is a popular choice for musical accompaniment. Some are more self-aware of how hilarious it is that everyone’s thirsting after a torture clown. For new fans, it seems natural that Buggy is a pillar of lust, judging by the sheer volume and view count of the videos on TikTok. Yet most long-time One Piece fans, while watching our favorite thing proliferate in mainstream American culture for the first time, are bemusedly wondering, “Him?!”

The Buggy thirst is so pronounced that even official Netflix social media accounts have deemed it impossible to ignore. And they’re just as surprised by it as One Piece diehards are.

Then again, Buggy has always possessed a certain magnetism. Like in the live-action series (though with major changes), Buggy is introduced in the manga and anime as a villain whose pirate crew is occupying a town they’ve destroyed. In other words, he’s engaged in acts that are inarguably morally reprehensible. But somewhere in between his hyper-sensitivity about his aforementioned nose, his simultaneously genuine and very fragile displays of confidence, and his excitement for doing things “flashily,” Buggy started amassing himself a fan base.

The likelihood that you come to love Buggy while reading the manga or watching the anime explodes during the “Impel Down” and “Marineford” story arcs, which likely won’t be adapted into live action for several seasons yet—assuming Netflix renews its newest mega-hit. As an X formerly known as Twitter user who goes by sedregina pointed out to me, “I think most people became attracted to him in Impel Down with his prison attire.”

With the live-action Buggy thirst content spiking, there is now a smaller spike of “Impel Down” Buggy thirst content happening simultaneously. It’s a lovely example of pre-existing One Piece fans getting excited about the live-action series and welcoming new fans. After all, “Impel Down” is when Buggy is really at his hottest, which is something live-action series fans have to look forward to.

Indeed, after events that seem likely to appear in a Season 2 of the live-action series, Buggy re-emerges with his luscious locks tied back in a ponytail. Just as important as his new hairdo, during this story arc, Buggy turns from being a villain to an ally (of sorts). In doing so, he becomes more obviously sympathetic, while the story has a jolly good time pushing the extreme possibilities of his character. During this part of the story, we see him switch from doubt and fear to putting on a facade in quick succession, as this charming coward manages to keep failing upward to hilarious effect. I can’t go into more detail without entering massive spoiler territory—but suffice to say, Buggy has continued relevance in the long epic of One Piece.

Beyond those story arcs, there’s a recent-ish chapter in the manga where even I, a huge Luffy fan, started thinking it’d be fine if Buggy became king of the pirates instead. Buggy illuminates a key piece of his backstory which gets to the heart of why he has always seemed like a relatable character—someone who began as a giddy kid, gets slowly scarred by repeated letdowns and failures, but never quite lets his dream die. This scene has not been animated yet; especially given Buggy’s reception in live action, I’m sure that when it does, the One Piece fan base will act like the raucously cheering crowd at Gold Roger’s execution.

But Netflix fans didn’t need to wait until an adaptation of “‘Impel Down” to catch Buggy Fever like the rest of us. The show’s writers translated the character’s natural magnetism well, and it exponentially multiplied when combined with the naturally, irrepressibly likable actor Jeff Ward. Ward is funny, effortlessly charismatic, and clearly having the time of his life in the role. In fact, most Buggy-loving fans I spoke with credited Ward’s performance (and attractiveness, of course) as a major contributor to the spiking interest in Buggy. It makes you wonder why the hell Buggy has to ask his crew for the spotlight.

Plus, the live-action show benefits from its showrunners already knowing about the series’ later revelations. One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda is famous for having everything planned out hundreds, even thousands, of chapters in advance. But the sad, betrayed way in which live-action Buggy talks about Shanks explicitly draws on a backstory that Oda doesn’t let slip until well after chapter 1,000 of the manga (and may or may not be the same scene alluded to earlier in this article). To quote sedregina again, “[Live-action] Buggy is a bit different … but [he’s] still the same sad, abandoned puppy with Shanks issues.”

Still, perhaps, after watching all of Netflix’s adaptation, Buggy Fever didn’t reach you. That’s perfectly OK. One Piece megafan @bymoonlightea sums up the reaction to Buggy the best: “The allure and attractiveness of Buggy is something you just get or you don't get. Personally it was a slippery slope of ‘He kinda is... hot’ to complete and utter devotion. He is such a BIG personality—you can't help but feel drawn to him … He always makes me laugh, and it makes him even more attractive.

“I genuinely think my life changed once I fell for Buggy,” they added. “For the better.”