This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
Key conclusions
- Zoro and Sanji will become stronger during the Elbaf arc, potentially gaining new power-ups.
- Oda does a great job of writing characters, letting the characters drive the plot on their own.
- Oda's dedication to creating fascinating characters stems from his personal love for them.
The creator of a One PieceEiichiro Oda is certainly one of the most brilliant writers of our time. Oda created a fantasy fiction that has already gone down in history and will surely go down in memory as one of the greatest works ever written by a mangaka. One Piece has much more to offer, but the fact that it has already made history and gone down as possibly the greatest story ever written is proof that Oda is committed to his craft and that this story is in a league of its own.
of course One Piece does a lot of things right, from writing compelling stories to phenomenal world-building. The key part One Piece it's the writing of the characters, which in many ways is also the most important aspect of the story. Oda absolutely knows how to write characters in so many ways, and that's why fans love his characters as much as they do. Now Oda has revealed the secret to writing incredible characters in a story.
Why Oda's characters are beloved
- Oda's characters stand independently
- Oda's characters drive the plot on their own
From the very first day in his story, Oda has written brilliant characters. When fans were introduced to Luffy, it was clear that he was a character with compelling ideas and a dream that fans could follow. The same can be said for the likes of Zora and all the other characters Oda has introduced along the way. The thing is, Oda is incredibly good at writing characters that represent certain themes, which is hard to do. Characters that stay true to their core and never change personalities due to the whims of the author will always be fan favorites. Oda has mastered this skill, and he's made it clear in the past that sometimes he just lets the characters drive their story. Of course, Oda is still the man with the pen, but when something doesn't match the foundation he's laid for his character, he shies away from the decision altogether.
Luffy worries me the most. I have to slow him down with obstacles or he will quickly defeat the villain. My characters act as if they have a will of their own. When I made them move for the sake of the story, my audience complained. – Ode
A good example of what Oda is saying about Luffy and his sense of freedom. Often, Oda would try to do something specific in the stories that didn't fit Luffy's way of thinking. For that exact reason, he decided to reverse the decision because Luffy simply wouldn't act that way. This is something Oda has talked about in his story before and is why Luffy is as beloved a character as he is. Luffy's personality is what drives the plot forward, and Oda writes Luffy as if he's alive and driving his own story. For any author, consistency in writing characters and paying close attention to them is essential, and that's exactly what Oda has achieved over the years.
Because Oda is so dedicated to his craft and knows what makes characters compelling and story arcs stand out, he has created the perfect formula for writing deep and confusing characters. In fact, Oda was even asked this very recently, and he certainly had a very interesting answer to the question posed to Oda in an interview:
How do you create characters that stand out? Eiichiro Oda: It all starts with whether I like the character or not. I can't work with characters I don't like. The worst thing you can do is force a character just because it's trendy, with no real personality. If I like a character, I'm at least a fan. But if I do them carelessly, they might not have any fans left at all.
Apparently, Oda explains that in order to write a compelling character, you have to love them first. If authors don't like their characters, they just disappear. Essentially, the author must embody a personal concern for the character he is writing and be careful about how to write them and what to keep in mind when creating his core personality and then modeling his entire character around that. It also shows how much Oda loves his characters. Considering One Piece has countless well-written characters, Oda cares deeply for all of them and would never want them to make decisions that conflict with their core personalities.
Some of Oda's great characters
Oda wrote some brilliant One Piece characters like Luffy and Sanji
Of course, when people talk about outstanding Oda characters, the Straw Hat Pirates come to mind. These men are some of the best written in all of history. Luffy in particular is an example for the story. Luffy embodies freedom in a literal sense, and fans have seen him grow not only in terms of power, but also in terms of his headstrong personality and core ideals, which have grown significantly over time. For example, Luffy actually became the embodiment of what the essence of his character is, which is freedom. After unlocking the Gear 5, fans could see why and how Oda always wanted to handle this character, and that's why fans grew to love Luffy as much as they did.
Another brilliant example of Oda's well-written characters is Sanji. It's safe to say that along with Luffy, Sanji is the best written character in all of One Piece, and that goes without saying. His character arcs, from Barati to what was discovered about him in Whole Cake Island and then continuing to Wano during the raid on Anigashima, are absolutely amazing. Sanji's deep concern for people, his kindness, his chivalry, and his self-sacrificing nature, along with all the growth he's seen in Wano since then, make him a brilliant character from start to finish.
Of course, there are others One Piece also like Nami, Zoro, Robin and of course many other brilliant non-Strauhat characters like Ace, Garp, Whitebeard and countless others who embody different ideals and thus prove that being brilliant written characters.
The best part of it all is this One Piece has not even reached its true peak. There are many intriguing characters that Oda will only now begin to focus on. This includes characters like Shanks, Blackbeard, and government characters like Imu, among others. Fans will also find other exciting characters like Joy Boy and his various allies in the series' biggest retrospective yet, and there's plenty to look forward to.
One Piece is available to read through Viz Media. Fans can read the series officially and for free on the Shonen Jump app and Manga Plus. The next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1128, is scheduled for release on October 6, 2024.
