28 Years Later, Oda Still Struggles With Writing For This Straw Hat

Despite the fact that many people adore the Straw Hat crew from One Piece, the individual who has been sailing with them the longest on their epic voyage is none other than the series’ creator, Eiichiro Oda. Although it might seem that Oda would have a solid understanding of how to develop his characters given that One Piece has been published for over two decades, he has confessed that there is one challenge in particular that continues to pose difficulties for him when it comes to steering a specific character’s narrative.

It appears that the situation might have escalated over time, yet it’s understandable why the character behaves as they do given this context. Oda seldom shares insights into his creative process, but he has lately mentioned one Straw Hat crew member who continues to be challenging for him to manage. With careful observation, fans should be able to pinpoint the individual in question.

Oda Needs To Put The ‘Brakes’ On Luffy

He Would Take Down The Villains Without Much Worry Otherwise

If you’ve ever pondered why Luffy from One Piece often gets misplaced shortly after arriving on a new island, Oda, the creator, has at last disclosed the explanation. He shared that he frequently needs to slow down Luffy by placing obstacles along the way. This is because if Luffy were to defeat the villain too swiftly, it would make sense given his consistently impressive power due to his elastic Devil Fruit talent.

Among all characters that I observe, none seems more relentless than Luffy. If I don’t strategically place obstacles in his path, I fear he might swiftly overpower the antagonist before I can even finish drawing the next scene.

There are many instances where this occurs, such as when Luffy got diverted and encountered the enigmatic Loki just a few chapters into Elbaf recently. Similarly, during the Dressrosa arc, Luffy initially had to participate in a tournament while assisting numerous side characters with their personal issues before finally encountering Doflamingo himself.

It’s worth noting that one reason people enjoy One Piece is due to its spirit of adventure and discovery as each new location is explored. If an arc ended too quickly because Luffy defeated the main antagonist too soon, it might become dull. Yet, since Oda has highlighted this issue mainly concerns Luffy, it leads us to wonder: has this been a consistent pattern throughout the series?

Has Luffy Become Too Strong?

Luffy’s Reached God-Like Status, Making Him Harder To Write

Oda’s observations seem to indicate that the later parts of One Piece, particularly those that followed the timeskip, are more directly connected. This is because Luffy was much simpler to develop in the initial stages of the story, lacking the divine powers he has now. Instead of facing numerous external challenges before reaching the villain, Luffy often clashed with antagonists repeatedly, enduring repeated humiliations until he eventually triumphed, as seen with Crocodile.

Back then, Luffy was still learning to handle his rubbery physique, and hadn’t yet fully grasped his Gear abilities which he now relies on extensively in battles against formidable foes. Interestingly, most villains no longer pose much of a challenge to Luffy, as he has demonstrated time and again that he can overcome even the strongest opponents such as Kaido and Kizaru, among others.

Does Oda Struggle To Write The Other Straw Hats?

The Other Straw Hats Don’t Suffer The Same Fate, But Why Is That?

Despite occasionally finding it challenging to control Luffy, Oda seems to encounter fewer difficulties managing the other Straw Hat crew members. A clear explanation for this can be found in their respective roles: while Sanji and Zoro possess immense power, they remain subordinate to Luffy as captain. Consequently, they rarely advance against the main antagonist of an arc unless explicitly commanded by Luffy himself.

Simultaneously, it’s quite common for several Straw Hats to be easily sidetracked due to personal matters. For instance, Zoro often finds himself lost whenever he attempts to travel from point A to B. Similarly, Sanji tends to become fixated on every woman he encounters. This habit of theirs results in them spending more time exploring the environment and settling into an island before moving forward, unlike Luffy who is single-mindedly focused on reaching the destination swiftly.

Regarding other members of the Straw Hat crew, several lack the strength to pose a significant challenge against a Yonko or Admiral. Consequently, it’s likely simpler to incorporate these characters into the narrative without worrying too much about them defeating the main adversary straight away. However, this is not applicable to Luffy, particularly since he has now mastered his powerful Gear 5 ability.

2025-08-04 20:37