The ‘One Piece’ character that Eiichiro Oda regrets killing

If you ask a ‘One Piece’ fan what traumatic deaths there have been in the series, they will all think of the same thing. There is a character whose death marks a before and after in Eiichiro Oda’s work. And also in a literal sense, as it precedes the time jump that divides the adventure into two parts. If you’ve entered the news, it’s because you don’t care about spoilers, so to speak, we’re referring to the death of Ace in Marineford.

This death still causes mixed feelings among ‘One Piece’ fans. On the one hand, there is anger. For the loss of one of the best characters of the series and because Marineford’s efforts and losses were in vain. On the other hand, there is hate. Towards Blackbeard for capturing Ace and towards Akainu for taking his life. And obviously, it also creates a sadness of unfathomable depth. Because it is to hear Shanks’ speech after what happened or to see Luffy cry when he remembers his nakamas after the fight with Jinbe and cries. But... what would you think if we told you that Oda himself regrets it?

The author admitted in an interview that during the Marineford arc, everyone wrote him letters asking him to spare Ace’s life. His own editor begged him every week to spare Luffy’s brother’s life. “Are you really going to kill Ace? It’s not a good idea,” he would say. Maybe all the emails and pressure ended up having the opposite effect, or maybe Oda was already tired of being accused of having no guts and of ‘One Piece’ being ridiculed for being a manga “without consequences”. The fact is that no one convinced the author to put away the scythe.

However, some time later, when Toei Animation adapted this moment for television, Oda admitted that he was shocked. “After watching the episode in which it happened, I wonder why Ace had to be killed in such a harsh way.” A comment that upset many people (after all, he was the one responsible for it), but it only shows that the author is able to get excited and vibrate with the anime as another fan. What would have happened to One Piece and the Mugiwara if Ace had not died? Would they have been able to have the same evolution and development?

Full screen

Which characters have died in One Piece?

Despite his reputation as a life-saver, Eiichiro Oda has already killed more than 100 characters in ‘One Piece’. It is true that shocking deaths, that is to say shocking deaths, have been few. Those that make up the meme above these lines, which basically comes to parody that in the Grand Line every wound is healed with a few bandages. Nevertheless, here is a complete list of all the fallen, counting only the confirmed casualties (we would add Big Mom and Kaido, for example, but there are still those who deny the evidence).

Which death hurt you the most? Do you agree with the author that Oda went too far with Ace? And who did he save that should be on the list above? We read you.