One Piece Characters Who Should've Stayed Dead: Oda's Flawed Decisions

Summary

Many One Piece characters survive fatal attacks, undermining the impact of their sacrifices.
Some examples include Pell, Spandam, and Kiku, who should have died from their lethal wounds.
Oda’s reluctance to kill off characters leads to frustrating moments that diminish the story’s emotional weight.

I can’t help but rave about One Piece! For nearly three decades, this masterpiece has captured the hearts of people worldwide with its captivating characters, intricate world-building, profound themes, engaging writing, thrilling action sequences, unique power system, and so much more. Yet, there’s one aspect that fans have been vocal about – series creator Eiichiro Oda’s reluctance to part ways with characters.

In the narrative, numerous major characters have endured lethal assaults and were given emotional farewells, only to miraculously reappear alive in subsequent chapters. This recurring pattern tends to diminish the impact of their presumed sacrifices, giving the impression that no one can truly perish within this tale. Regrettably, there are several One Piece characters who would have benefited from a more permanent departure, but the instances below highlight Oda’s most vexing tendencies.

8. Pell

Survived A City-Destroying Bomb That Blew Up In His Face

First Appearance: Chapter 155 (Manga), Episode 91 (Anime)

Undoubtedly, Pell is renowned in the world of One Piece for surviving an attack that logically should have ended his life. This is due to the fact that his supposed “death” scene was emotionally impactful. He employed the soaring capabilities of his Devil Fruit, the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon, to transfer a bomb intended to demolish the city of Alubarna to a great height before it detonated.

In this pivotal scene, Pell proved himself to be one of the bravest characters within the series. Yet, astonishingly, he resurfaced a few chapters onward, miraculously alive and bearing only minor injuries from the catastrophic blast. Despite serving as one of the two top guards in the Arabasta Kingdom, numerous readers feel that his character should have met its end following such a significant sacrifice.

7. Pagaya

Survived A Powerful Electric Attack From Enel

First Appearance: Chapter 239 (Manga), Episode 154 (Anime)

Characters in the series One Piece frequently make selfless sacrifices for those they care about, only to be revived later, which has become a somewhat repetitive narrative pattern within the storyline. For example, shortly after Pell’s supposed demise, an identical scenario unfolded with the character Pagaya in the Skypiea arc.

In the narrative, there came a moment where he got unexpectedly struck by one of Enel’s lightning bolts. Quick on his feet, Pagaya swiftly shoved his daughter, Conis, off the cliff they were standing upon, in an instant act to save her life. This scene was another unexpectedly touching display of self-sacrifice, significantly boosting Pagaya’s character esteem. However, this poignant moment was marred when it was revealed that Pagaya miraculously lived through the ordeal at the conclusion of the storyline, leaving his survival unexplained.

6. Spandam

Survived Getting His Spine Broken By Robin

First Appearance: Chapter 355 (Manga), Episode 249 (Anime)

In the world of One Piece, Spandam, once leader of CP9, is known as one of the most unforgivable adversaries. He’s essentially a pampered young man who frequently belittled and tormented Nico Robin during the Enies Lobby storyline. Thankfully, Robin was eventually saved by the Straw Hat Pirates and had her long-awaited moment of justice against Spandam at the conclusion of the arc. With the abilities of her Hana Hana no Mi, she quickly seized him and snapped his back in a heartbeat.

This scene is arguably one of the most fulfilling in the series, given Spandam’s abhorrent nature as a villain. Many fans wished to see him suffer and meet a grim end. However, it was not widely known that one of the manga’s side stories revealed Spandam survived this fatal assault. To add insult to injury, he eventually healed from his wounds and joined CP0. It’s infuriating that such an unsavory character seems to have been compensated for his actions.

5. G-5 Marines

Survived Caesar Clown’s Deadly Gas

First Appearance: Chapter 681 (Manga), Episode 607 (Anime)

In the Punk Hazard storyline, we saw Smoker and Tashigi reappear post time skip, taking on leadership roles at the Marine Base G-5. It was during this arc that these new characters, the G-5 Marines, were introduced. They often tried to flirt with Tashigi, which she found irritating throughout the story.

Despite being quite bothersome for much of the narrative, the G-5 marines notably shone in a heartwarming scene that unfolded unexpectedly. In this instance, several of them bravely pushed Tashigi to the other side of a door as it was about to shut, shielding her from Caesar Clown’s Smiley experiment and instantly turning to stone. The picture of Tashigi receiving their thumbs-up, stunned by their selfless act, remains one of the most impactful moments in the entire arc. Regrettably, this powerful scene was diminished when it turned out that they hadn’t perished during the ordeal; instead, they simply required rescue from their petrified casings. As you might expect, this was another instance of One Piece‘s seemingly futile sacrifice scenes.

4. Charlotte Moscato

Survived Getting Years Of His Life Stolen By Big Mom

First Appearance: Chapter 829 (Manga), Episode 788 (Anime)

At the start of the Whole Cake Island saga, Big Mom was observed on a destructive rampage, fueled by hunger, within her own territories, and no one could halt her frenzy. One of her children, Charlotte Moscato, made an attempt to reason with her, but this endeavor proved futile. Using the powers granted by her Devil Fruit, she seemingly took her son’s lifespan, causing his death – though initially, it seems the viewers are led to assume this is the case.

In essence, Big Mom employed her Soul Pocus ability to seize forty years from Moscato’s life, an act that theoretically should have resulted in his death. However, surprisingly, Moscato briefly resurfaced alive and healthy at the end of the same story arc. It’s unfortunate because Big Mom’s portrayal as a ruthless and merciless character when she seemingly killed Moscato was powerful. But this impact was weakened when it turned out that he had miraculously survived.

3. Pound

Survived An Attack With A Flaming Weapon

First Appearance: Chapter 831 (Manga), Episode 792 (Anime)

In the captivating world of One Piece, I’ve found myself intrigued by none other than Pound, a former spouse of Big Mom and father to Chiffon and Lola. My heart has been entwined with their storyline throughout the Whole Cake Island arc, as Pound tirelessly sought to reconnect with one of his daughters. Despite an initial setback in achieving this reunion, he miraculously managed to save Chiffon’s life and facilitate her escape along with her newfound family, while Charlotte Oven tragically ended Pound’s life with a fiery weapon, leaving me deeply moved by the unfolding events.

In another heart-wrenching moment where a character’s fate seemed sealed, it turned out that Pound had miraculously survived Oven’s lethal attack. This revelation, which came later through an exposé titled “Cover Story,” changed the emotional impact of the scene significantly. It might be one of those rare instances where Eiichiro Oda making a character live proved to be a brilliant decision, as it would have been heartless and disappointing if Pound had never been given the chance to reconnect with his two daughters. Thankfully for both Pound and the audience, this reunion occurred in the storyline “Gang Bege’s Oh My Family.

2. Kin’emon

Survived A Direct Double Attack From Kaido

First Appearance: Chapter 656 (Manga), Episode 580 (Anime)

In the Wano Country arc, a significant and turbulent part of the One Piece storyline, some deaths were not executed as effectively as expected. Given their pivotal roles in this grand tale, it was logical for the Nine Red Scabbards to be prominent figures in the fight. However, what left many readers puzzled was Oda’s seemingly unusual decisions about which of these characters lived and died.

In the thrilling world of One Piece, I, a die-hard fan, fondly remember Kin’emon – a character reintroduced many chapters back during the Punk Hazard arc. In one jaw-dropping scene, Kaido, without warning, brutally murdered Momonosuke. But quick-thinking Kin’emon managed to divert Kaido’s attention, allowing his adoptive son to flee. Sadly, this selfless act led to Kin’emon getting struck by Kaido’s kanabo and stabbed with a katana, leaving everyone to believe he was no more.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, a few chapters later, it was unveiled that Kin’emon had miraculously survived! The reason? Law, our beloved sci-fi pirate, hadn’t properly reattached his limbs during Punk Hazard. Now, this revelation was nothing short of amusing, but it did leave a slight pang in my heart, as Kin’eman’s heroic sacrifice somehow felt somewhat diminished.

1. Kiku

Survived Getting Stabbed In The Abdomen

First Appearance: Chapter 913 (Manga), Episode 899 (Anime)

Kikunojo, more commonly referred to as Kiku, is one of the Red Nine Scabbards who defied death by surviving numerous fatal wounds, in stark contrast to her brother Izou who met an untimely end due to smaller attacks. During the decisive Raid on Onigashima, Kiku endured two severe and potentially lethal assaults: Initially, her arm was severed by Kaido, followed by a stab wound in the abdomen inflicted by Kanjuro who had transformed himself into Oden using his Devil Fruit abilities.

The two instances were intended to be both startling and evocative, with her losing a significant amount of blood in each situation. Despite Kiku’s survival being attributable to Hiyori healing her wounds in the treasure room, it remains challenging to accept that she emerged from the conflict unscathed. Yet, given her intriguing and appealing nature, many fans are relieved and happy that she survived and were able to witness Wano improve as a result.

2025-04-05 08:05

One Piece Characters Who Should’ve Stayed Dead: Oda’s Flawed Decisions