This article contains spoilers from the One Piece anime and manga.
One Piece is home to many fan-favorite anime characters. It’s not just Monkey D. Luffy who became a household name, but also the members of the Straw Hat Pirates and even their allies and foes. There’s no stopping Eiichiro Oda from introducing likable characters in One Piece, but he has no intention of reviving characters, no matter how popular they are.
One Piece is no stranger to major character deaths, even though Oda himself isn’t fond of killing off characters. From Whitebeard and Portgas D. Ace to Dr. Vegapunk on Egghead Island, fans have shed tears because of these game-changing deaths. No wonder fans also love to speculate whether Eiichiro Oda could revive dead characters, especially this popular pirate with a strong bond with Luffy.
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Fans Are Still Waiting for the Comeback of Ace in One Piece
Portgas D. Ace Died in Marineford Arc
- Portgas D. Ace died in the Marineford Arc, saving Luffy's life.
- Fans want Ace back in One Piece.
The death of Portgas D. Ace left not just Luffy devastated but also the many fans rooting for him. To this day, Ace remains in the wish list of anime characters fans want to revive the most, which speaks volumes about his impact in One Piece. He was more than a dead character, a lifeless pirate who sacrificed himself to protect his sworn brother in the Marineford Arc.
Death won’t stop One Piece fans from forming theories about the long-awaited return of Ace. Even with the permanence that usually comes with the many character deaths in One Piece, fans continue to curate scenarios where it’s possible for Ace to return. There were even some fans who once thought that Eiichiro Oda faked Ace’s death, even though Akainu’s magma wrist literally made a donut out of Ace’s body.
I don't wanna live a thousand years. If I just live through today, that'll be enough. -Portgas D. Ace
Understandably, it’s more difficult to accept Ace’s death than any other character deaths in the series. He had a strong bond with Luffy and Sabo, and he held more promise and potential by carrying the will of D. His death also became a defining moment in Luffy’s growth, as the next pirate king had never been the same without him. He could have done so many more amazing things in the story, but his time was over.
Eiichiro Oda Confirms Ace Will Not Be Revived in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda Hates Reviving Dead Characters
The number of fake deaths in One Piece is increasing, so it gives many fans hope for real dead characters to return to the story. While Eiichiro Oda has revealed his feelings over the act of reviving dead characters, this doesn’t stop fans from wishing and praying that the author will change his mind someday and treat fans to a shocking plot twist in the end.
However, in an episode of Honmadekka!? TV aired in 2019, Eiichiro Oda completely shut down rumors about the return of Ace. When asked by Japanese comedian Sanma Akashiya whether Oda was going to revive Ace, Eiichiro Oda firmly answered, “No.” This response probably had something to do with his dislike of reviving dead characters. In other words, Oda isn’t a fan of resurrecting characters just because they are popular.
Sanma: You’re going to revive Ace, right?
Oda: No.
Unfortunately, Eiichiro Oda won’t change his mind anytime soon. In a past interview, it was also revealed that Oda had hated the idea of reviving characters ever since he was a kid. Not only did the act make him doubt Japanese authors, but it also shattered his immersion in the story. For Oda, “the revival of a human isn’t natural,” and the same thing applies to his characters in One Piece whether fans like it or not.
More One Piece Characters Could Follow Ace
The Kill Count Will Increase in the Final Saga
The final saga in One Piece has already started, which means fans will probably see more fallen characters as the plot unfolds. Monkey D. Luffy’s battles will be more intense, and the same should be true for the rest of his crew. It's only natural for characters, especially the villains, to die at this point of the story, even those popular ones that fans have grown to love.
That said, fans will most likely have more additions to their wish list, apart from Ace. It could be Blackbeard or even Shanks, as these characters were long speculated to die by the end of One Piece. Regardless of whoever follows Ace in the afterlife, fans will surely mourn these deaths, wishing they could see them in action again.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
