One Piece never fails to entertain fans with its compelling story, incredible main characters, intense fights, and intriguing villains. With the manga series in its Final Saga, it’s the perfect time to look back on the deceased characters whose time was cut short in the most unexpected and heartbreaking ways.
One Piece is no stranger to character deaths, but as much as possible, series creator Eiichiro Oda tries to avoid killing off important characters unless it serves a major purpose in the story. No wonder Eiichiro Oda once saved a character who was supposed to die early. This character survived 10 more years thanks to the amazing reception from the fans.
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Eiichiro Oda Rarely Kills One Piece Characters
Oda Avoids Killing Characters as Much as Possible
Unlike other popular shonen anime where character deaths are common, Eiichiro Oda rarely resorts to character deaths in One Piece. But when the Japanese mangaka does kill off characters, he makes sure they aren’t meaningless or unnecessary. These deaths should serve a purpose, either to shape the main characters’ journey or to push the story forward in major ways.
In other words, character deaths in One Piece are not meant for shock value alone. Eiichiro Oda inserts them into the story to push a character's development, inspire other characters, or symbolize the end of an era. For instance, the death of Ace fueled Luffy’s desire to grow stronger, not to mention, made his conflict with Akainu and Blackbeard more intense. The same is true with the death of Whitebeard, as he successfully reignited the flames of the Great Pirate Era with his final words.
However, if possible, Eiichiro Oda would rather avoid killing characters. In his past interviews, Oda revealed that he refused to draw scenes where his characters die just because he wanted to draw an enjoyable party after the battle. Death, after all, could dampen the celebratory atmosphere he envisions for his story, especially in the ending of One Piece.
Eiichiro Oda Almost Killed Ace Way Before Marineford
Ace Was Supposed to Die One Year After His Debut
- Manga Appearance: Chapter 154
- Anime Appearance: Episode 91
The death of Portgas D. Ace remains one of the most heartbreaking character deaths, not just in One Piece but in all of anime to this day. Fans around the world mourned his passing, and even Eiichiro Oda himself thought his death was harsh when he watched the anime adaptation. Despite this reaction, Oda originally planned Ace’s death a year after he was introduced in the story.
Going back, Ace first appeared in One Piece Chapter 154, titled “To Arabasta,” which was released on October 2, 2000. If Oda had continued his original plan for Ace, his death would have happened in Chapter 201, titled “Nico Robin,” released on October 1, 2001. This was way before the events of the Paramount War, where Ace was sentenced to death by execution and later died at the hands of Akainu.
See This Tattoo? That's Our Mark. And It's My Pride.—Ace
In One Piece Magazine volume 3, Eiichiro Oda revealed in a comment that he was worried about killing off Ace early because of the “tremendous reaction from the audience.” At the time, Ace probably had the biggest support from the fans, leading to Oda taking a full decade to kill off Ace in the story. Oda’s hesitation proves that he was mindful, and still is, of the emotions of his audience and how he was careful in planning a major turning point in One Piece.
Eiichiro Oda Will Not Revive Ace
Ace Is Gone for Good
Unfortunately, as much as fans would love to see Fire Fist Ace alive and kicking again in One Piece, Eiichiro Oda previously shut down rumors about his possible revival. In yet another interview he did in the past, the creator of One Piece revealed he has no plans to revive Ace. Despite Ace’s popularity, Oda will not bring him back, unless he changes his mind sometime in the future.
Of course, fans might see Ace again in One Piece through flashbacks or even in Luffy or Sabo’s dreams. If Oda is generous by the end of One Piece, fans might even see Ace in the afterlife with the rest of the dead characters, such as his father figure Whitebeard and even his real father, Gol D. Roger. For now, Ace fans should keep their fingers crossed, as there’s no telling what the future holds for One Piece.
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
