This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
Key recommendations
- Zoro and Sanji will become stronger during the Elbaf arc, potentially gaining new power-ups.
- Oda excels at character writing, letting the characters drive 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 fantasy fiction that has already made its mark in history and will surely be considered one of the greatest works ever written by any mangaka. One piece it still has a lot to offer, but the fact that it has already made history and become arguably the greatest story ever written is proof that Oda is dedicated to his craft and that this story is in a league of its own. own.
Of course, One piece it does several things right, from writing compelling story arcs to phenomenal world-building. A key part of One piece it's the character writing, which in many ways is also the most important aspect of the story. Oda totally captures the character writing in so many ways and that's why fans love her characters as much as they do. Now, Oda has revealed the secret behind writing incredible characters into the story.
Why Oda's characters are loved
- Oda's characters stand independently
- Oda's characters move the plot on their own
Oda wrote brilliant characters in his story from day one. When fans were introduced to Luffy, it was clear to see that this was a character with compelling ideas and a dream that fans could follow. The same could be said for people like Zoro and every other character Oda introduced along the way. What is certain is that Oda manages to write characters that represent certain themes incredibly well, which is hard to do. Characters that remain consistent to their core and never change their personalities based on the whim of the author are always the ones that will always be loved among fans. Oda has mastered this craft and has made it clear in the past that sometimes he just lets the characters drive his story forward. Of course, Oda is still the person holding the pen, but if something doesn't line up with the foundation he's laid for his character, then he avoids that decision altogether.
Luffy bothers me the most. I have to restrain him with obstacles or he will defeat the villain in no time. 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. – Ode
A good example of this Oda talking about Luffy and his sense of freedom. Often, Oda tried to do something specific in the stories that didn't align with Luffy's way of thinking. For this exact reason, he chose to forgo the decision because Luffy simply wouldn't do it that way. This is something Oda previously stated in his story, and it's also 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 were alive and driving his own story. For any author, consistency in writing characters and caring deeply about characters is absolutely essential, and that's exactly what Oda has accomplished over the years.
Because Oda is so dedicated to his craft and knows what makes characters engaging and story arcs stand out, he has created the perfect formula for writing deep and complicated characters. In fact, Oda was even asked about this quite 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 vibe with. The worst thing you can do is force a character just because it's trendy with no real personality. If I like the character, at least I'm a fan. But if they do them carelessly, they might not have fans at all.
Clearly, Oda explains that in order to write a compelling character, you must first love him. If authors don't love their characters, they're just wasted. Essentially, an author must embody personal care for the character they are writing and be careful about how to write them and what things to keep in mind when designing their core personality and then molding their entire character around it. This also shows how much Oda loves his characters. Considering that there are countless well-written characters in One Piece, Oda cares deeply about all of them and would never make them make decisions that go against their core personality.
Some of Oda's outstanding characters
Oda wrote some brilliant One Piece characters like Luffy and Sanji
Of course, when talking about Oda's outstanding characters, the Straw Hat Pirates come to mind. These people are some of the best written in the entire story. Luffy in particular is an example for the story to follow. Luffy embodies freedom in a literal sense, and fans have seen him go from strength to strength, not just in terms of strength, but also in terms of his stubborn personality and core ideals that have only grown with time significant. For example, Luffy has actually become the very personification of what his character stands for, and that is freedom. By unlocking Gear 5's powers, fans were able to see why and how Oda always wanted to handle this character, and also why fans came 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 next to Luffy, Sanji is the best written character in One Piece and that goes without saying. His character arcs, starting with Baratie, to what was revealed about him in Whole Cake Island and then continuing in Wano during the Raid of Onigashima, is absolutely spectacular. Sanji's deep care for people, his kindness, chivalry, and 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 in the One piece also like Nami, Zoro, Robin, and of course many other brilliant non-Strawhat characters like Ace, Garp, Whitebeard, and countless others who embody various ideals and thus prove to be brilliantly written characters.
The best part of all this is that One piece it hasn't even reached its true peak. There are many interesting characters that Oda will only now begin to focus on. These include characters such as Shanks, Blackbeard and those of the Government such as Imu, Among others. Fans will also find other compelling characters like Joy Boy and his various allies in the biggest flashback of the series, and there's a lot to look forward to.
One Piece can be read through Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free on Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1128, is set for October 6, 2024.
