One Piece: Is Bon Clay still alive? The character's fate after Impel Down arc, explained

One Piece has a lot of great elements that have been praised over the years, but there is no denying that the series has some facts worth criticizing, such as the lack of casualties. Author Eiichiro Oda has had a lot of moments in the manga where he had characters stating how dangerous some situations are, only for every single one of them to survive at the end of the arc, barring some major exceptions.

A very good example of this is in the One Piece series, the character being Bon Clay, formerly of Crocodile's Baroque Works organization and carrying the Mr. 2 nickname at the time. Bon Clay ended up becoming friends with the Straw Hat crew, and went on to be of great help to Luffy during the Impel Down arc. The common perception in the fandom is that he died in that storyline, but a closer look at the manga reveals that Bon Clay is still alive.

Disclaimer: This article purely reflects the writer's opinion and contains spoilers for the series. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Explaining Bon Clay's fate after events of Impel Down arc in One Piece series

Bon Clay sacrificed himself during the Impel Down arc, thus allowing Luffy and the rest of the inmates to escape the high-level prison. He made his last stand against the warden, Magellan, with some fans believing that he died in the process. However, it was revealed in the manga that he actually managed to survive against Magellan and stayed in Impel Down, where he remains, as of this writing.

It was also confirmed that Bon Clay took over Ivankov's role as the queen of Newkama Land, and has established himself as an influential player in Impel Down, much like his predecessor. While some fans have celebrated the character's survival, others have felt that it was a fitting moment for Bon Clay to die, making his sacrifice all the more memorable.

This revelation has also led to a lot of discussion about how the character could make a comeback in the story and help Luffy and the rest of the crew. While there is no clear path for the character to make a return, Bon Clay is a fan favorite and could be of great use in the final battle.

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The lack of casualties in the series

Ace's death is one of the few major casualties in the franchise (Image via Toei Animation).

One Piece has received a lot of praise in recent years but there is no denying that the lack of casualties is a major issue in the story. While multiple character deaths don't equal high-quality storytelling in every case, Oda has constantly stated in the manga that the characters are in a lot of danger, only for everybody to survive and live another day in every single scenario.

The only two major characters to die in the series were Portgas D. Ace and Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate during the events of the Marineford arc, which also helped elevate that story in the One Piece fandom. It is difficult to feel a sense of danger and high stakes when even characters like Bon Clay manage to survive a situation where he should have died.

Oda has also had issues with several characters apparently dying, only for the story to reveal that they were alive all along. It is a running problem that goes all the way back to the Arabasta era and remains to this day in the franchise.

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Final thoughts

Bon Clay survived his clash against Magellan and is now rulling the level 5.5 in Impel Down, which means that he is still alive in the One Piece series. There is no further information regarding his character, which is why some fans have theorized that he is eventually going to return to the story.

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