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During a recently published Q&A session, One Piece’s creator, author, and illustrator Eiichiro Oda was asked an interesting question by one fan. The fan, who signed in as B.S.L., discussed how New World Nami is one of their favorite aspects of the series and that they enjoy her visual appearance "through anime, merchandise, figures, game DLC, and so on."
B.S.L. also asked the creator of One Piece what he thought about the former's approach to the series and way of enjoying it. While many likely expected a certain kind of response from Oda, his actual answer likely broke the mold and was unforeseen by many.
Follow along as this article fully breaks down Oda’s answer, as well as fans’ reaction to it.
One Piece’s creator Eiichiro Oda tells fans that, regardless of what they like, he’s “just happy knowing that [they’re] reading”
Oda’s answers
In a shocking twist, the answer B.S.L. received from One Piece’s creator, author, and illustrator was certainly an interesting and thought-provoking one. While Oda does comment on the assumption that B.S.L. is feeling guilty for "thinking of the characters in a naughty manner," his actual response to this reality is quite fascinating.
Oda begins his response by mentioning how Nami has become more popular recently, which he attributes to her lack of presence in the series recently. He then comments on how he suspects B.S.L. to be feeling guilty for thinking of Nami in a "naughty manner," as mentioned above.
He then continues to say that he has "no problems with this – for any of my characters." Oda then shares a lesson he learned from a teacher of his, who told him that "your manga world is a product to be sold," and that a true professional doesn’t tell their customers how to enjoy a product.
Oda goes on to say he agrees with that philosophy, telling B.S.L. that he may "interpret, fantasize, and enjoy it" however they wish. This sentiment likely extends to all fans, especially considering Oda himself says it extends to all of his characters. He ends this response by emphasizing that he’s just happy to know that B.S.L. and all the other fans are enjoying reading the manga.
Fan reception to Oda’s response has been largely positive, with many fans praising Oda’s maturity and acceptance of the situation. Fans are also poking fun at the fact that Oda’s real-life wife is a famous Nami cosplayer, teasing that something certainly would’ve been amiss in his moral compass if he didn’t approve of B.S.L. and other fans' taking interest in Nami.
Almost no response to the Reddit post featuring the One Piece Q&A session has been negative, with even the joke responses seriously praising Oda’s mentality. It’s certainly a fantastic philosophy to have for fans of the series, as well as for Oda himself. Stressing over exactly how fans are enjoying the series certainly couldn’t be healthy for anyone, let alone someone who works as hard as he does.
The response is certainly heartwarming for fans, who are essentially being told that they’re free to enjoy the series however they want. With many other entertainment series or franchises taking a much different approach, it’s certainly a breath of fresh air to see One Piece’s Eiichiro Oda feel this way.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as the year of the series’ 25th anniversary progresses.
