Eiichiro Oda hints at major characters' death in One Piece at Jump Festa 2023

The second day of the One Piece JUMP Festa Super Stage 2023 is underway, and fans have recently received some information from One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda that has left them baffled. With the manga nearing completion and more lore being revealed in each chapter, fans were ecstatic to hear today's announcements.

To commemorate the success of One Piece Film: Red, some announcements were made today, along with some songs and dances. Fans, however, did not anticipate the hint that a character's death would occur within the next year. However, fans have theories about who that character is.

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After Oda's cryptic message, fans have begun to speculate about who will die in One Piece

Eiichiro Oda’s message

Zoro reading Luffy's message (Image via Toei Animation)

The voice actor for Luffy, Mayumi Tanaka, read out a message shared by Oda. The mangaka greeted JUMP Festa attendees and acknowledged that it had been a great year, with the completion of the Wano arc, the overwhelming popularity of One Piece Film: Red, and the success of the One Piece card game. Furthermore, he expressed surprise that, despite the fact that his manga series has been running for twenty-five years, many first-time readers are becoming fans of the franchise.

He also stated that, despite his claims that this is the final stage of the story, things will not end just yet. He assures viewers that they can unwind and enjoy the series, as it will not just end out of the blue.

Uta (Image via Toei Animation)

Following that, he stated that after six years of development, One Piece Odyssey will finally be released next year. He also mentioned that he is planning stage events. He also declared that season one of the One Piece Hollywood live action series is currently in production. Season one's rough cut is complete, even though things have not always been easy.

As for the One Piece manga, Oda made the crucial announcement that fans will witness a clash between two people, though he did not reveal who. This segment, according to the mangaka, deserves to be described as an epic battle royale. He expressed his hope that no one dies. He concluded the letter by saying that fans can expect nothing but the best from him next year.

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Fan theory

Law as seen in the manga (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha/Viz Media)

Fans began speculating about which character would die in the next year as soon as the possibility of someone's death was revealed. While several names were thrown around during the livestream, including Red-Haired Shanks', the one that stood out was Law.

Trafalgar D. Water Law is the Heart Pirates' captain and one of the Seven Emperors of the Sea. He was last seen battling Blackbeard. Blackbeard pursued Law because he had sketches of the Road Poneglyphs that were in Big Mom and Kaido's possession. These Road Poneglyphs lead to Laugh Tale island, where the famous One Piece treasure is buried. The two then put everything on the line in a fierce battle.

Law challenges Blackbeard (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha/Viz Media)

In typical Oda fashion, he let the battle unfold in the background while Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats' adventures on Egghead Island took center stage. The outcome of the conflict is expected to be revealed at the end of the Egghead arc. Fans, however, are anticipating Law's defeat at the hands of Blackbeard for the sake of the story. Blackbeard is cunning, powerful, and greedy. This makes him a great villain, and it would be strange to see such an antagonist defeated in the background.

Although fans had expected Law to be defeated, they did anticipate his death at the hands of Blackbeard. It is obviously speculative at this point, because nothing regarding who the fighting characters are and who will die, if it happens, has been revealed. It is still shocking, given that the death would likely be someone on Straw Hats’ side, and hence it will be very impactful.