This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
Key insights
- Zoro and Sanji become stronger over the course of the Elbaf arc and may receive new power-ups.
- Oda excels at character writing, letting the characters advance the plot independently.
- Oda's dedication to creating compelling characters stems from his personal love for them.
The creator of One pieceEiichiro Oda, is certainly one of the most brilliant writers of modern times. Oda has created a fantastic piece of fiction that has already etched itself into history and will surely go down as one of the greatest works ever written by a mangaka. One piece still has a lot going for it, but the fact that it has already etched itself into history and gone down as arguably the greatest story of all time is proof that Oda is dedicated to his craft and that this story is in a league their kind is peculiar.
Naturally, One piece does several things right, from writing compelling storylines to phenomenal world building. An important part of One piece is the character writing, which in many ways is also the most important aspect of the story. Oda has absolutely mastered character writing in many ways and that's why fans love his characters as much as they do. Now Oda has revealed the secret behind writing incredible characters into the story.
Why Oda's characters are popular
- Oda's characters stand independently
- Oda's characters move the plot on their own
Oda has written brilliant characters into his story from day one. When fans were introduced to Luffy, it was clear that this was a character with compelling ideas and a dream that fans could achieve. The same goes for people like Zoro and all the other characters Oda introduced over time. The fact is that Oda does an incredible job of writing characters that represent certain themes, which is difficult. Characters who remain consistent at their core and never change their personalities according to the author's whims will always be popular with fans. Oda has mastered this craft and has made it clear in the past that he sometimes just lets the characters drive his story. Of course, Oda is still the person holding the pen, but when something doesn't align with the foundation he's set for his character, he avoids that decision altogether.
Luffy bothers me the most. I have to slow him down with obstacles, otherwise he will soon defeat the villain. My characters act as if they have a will of their own. When I forced them to move for the sake of the story, my audience complained. – Oda
A good example of Oda talking about Luffy and his sense of freedom. Oda has often tried to do something specific in the stories that doesn't align with Luffy's way of thinking. That's exactly why he decided to overturn the decision, because Luffy just wouldn't behave like that. Oda has already said this in his story, and it is also the reason why Luffy is as popular a character as he is. Luffy's personality drives the plot, and Oda writes Luffy in a way as if he were alive and driving his own story. For any author, continuity in character writing and deep care for the characters are absolutely essential, and that's exactly what Oda has nailed over the years.
Because Oda is so dedicated to his craft and knows what makes characters compelling and storylines stand out, he has created the perfect formula for writing deep and complex characters. In fact, Oda was even asked about this recently, and he certainly had a very interesting answer to the question Oda was asked in an interview:
How do you create outstanding characters? Eiichiro Oda: It all starts with whether I like the character or not. I can't work with characters I don't harmonize with. The worst thing you can do is force a character just because it's trendy and has no real personality. If I like the character, at least I'm a fan. But if I make them without care, they might end up having no fans at all.
Oda clearly explains that to write a compelling character, you first have to love them. If writers don't love their characters, they're just wasted. Essentially, a writer must personally care about the character they are writing and pay attention to how they go about writing and what things they need to keep in mind when crafting their core personality and then basing their entire character around it. This also shows how much Oda loves his characters. Given that there are tons of well-written characters in One Piece, Oda cares deeply about all of them and would never let them make decisions that go against their core personalities.
Some of Oda's standout characters
Oda has written some brilliant One Piece characters like Luffy and Sanji
When talking about Oda's standout characters, the Straw Hat Pirates naturally come to mind. These characters are some of the best written in all of history. Luffy in particular is a role model for the story. Luffy embodies freedom in the truest sense of the word, and fans have seen him grow stronger and stronger, not only in terms of his power, but also in his stubborn personality and core ideals, which have only grown significantly over time. Luffy, for example, actually became the embodiment of what his character is all about, and that is freedom. Unlocking Gear 5's powers allowed fans to see why and how Oda always wanted to handle the character, and that's also why fans love Luffy as much as she does.
Another brilliant example of Oda's well-written characters is Sanji. It's safe to say that Sanji is the best-written character in One Piece next to Luffy, and that goes without saying. His character arcs, starting with Baratie all the way to what was revealed about him in Whole Cake Island and then during The attack on Onigashima continued in Wano are absolutely spectacular. Sanji's deep care for people, his kindness, chivalry and self-sacrificing nature, as well as all the development he has experienced 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-Straw Hat characters like Ace, Garp, Whitebeard and countless others who embody various ideals and have also proven to be brilliantly written characters.
The best part of all this is this One piece hasn't even reached its true peak yet. There are many fascinating characters that Oda will only now focus on. These include characters such as Shanks, Blackbeard and those from the government such as Imu. Fans will also find other compelling characters like Joy Boy and various of his allies in the series' biggest flashback, and there's a lot to look forward to.
One Piece can be read via Viz Media. The series is officially available for fans to read for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1128, is October 6, 2024.
