'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Every One Piece fan will remember how emotionally hard-hitting the death of Portgas D. Ace had been. While everyone was assured that Luffy and his companions had saved Ace's life, the moment of self-sacrifice where the young pirate decided to save his brother from Akainu came as a shock.
Both then and now, fans have not been happy with this tragic event. It has received widespread criticism for what many perceive as an unnecessary plot twist and flawed execution.
Meanwhile, mangaka Eiichiro Oda's later comments regarding Ace's death have garnered further negative reactions from the fanbase. As a result, fans of the series have recently taken to Twitter to express their discontent.
One Piece mangaka's comment about a favorite character lands him in trouble
What has Oda said about Ace's death?
During the Marineford arc, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the One Piece manga, was reportedly flooded with heartfelt fan letters which pleaded him to spare the life of Ace. Moreover, the editor of the manga himself had kept badgering Oda about the beloved character's future for weeks. The editor did not think it was a good idea to kill off such a popular character.
Interestingly, following the broadcast of the corresponding anime episode, Oda found himself reflecting on Ace's death; remarking that the character's death should not have been so severe.
It seems that only in retrospect the mangaka realized that he had pushed the boundaries too far, subjecting Ace to an unnecessarily tragic death. Indeed, this particular death was an exception for him to write, given his tendency to not commit to the deaths he has written, which has frequently annoyed supporters.
It is problematic for him to largely criticize the anime but maybe because he was watching it objectively, without being actively involved in its creation, he was able to reach the conclusion that the manner of Ace's death was unjustifiable.
How have fans reacted to Oda's comment?
One Piece fans have called out Oda for his hypocrisy, given that he is the one who wrote the story. In the majority's opinion, the mangaka's choice to criticize the animators for giving Ace a painful end does not make sense.
Several memes have been circulated to illustrate how ridiculous Oda sounds when criticizing the anime. Check out some of these below:
There are others who believe Ace's death was necessary to properly flesh out the character and to move the plot forward. The tweets from this faction emphasize that the Marineford Arc would not have attained its current prominence without this pivotal death which shocked every reader.
At this moment, it appears that Ace's death will not be reversed, which is a good thing because many fans of One Piece have been hoping for dead characters. However, for those who have felt deprived of more Ace content, a spin-off manga series will be published into English next year.
The series, based on Shou Hinata's One Piece Novel A, is titled One Piece: Ace’s Story–The Manga and will be illustrated by Doichi, who is also the illustrator of Dr. STONE.
