One Piece: Oda Reveals How He Makes His Villains Stronger

This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

Summary

Oda’s early villains were weak and some have returned.
Oda loves to bring back villains stronger than before.
Old One Piece characters are likely to return much stronger.

The popular series “One Piece” has resumed, and readers are anxiously anticipating the writer to delve further into the Grand Saga, embarking on larger escapades than previously experienced.

It’s fair to assume that the narrative of this story is flawless at present, given how close Oda is getting to the conclusion with each new chapter. It’s not surprising then, that all loose ends are being addressed as we speak. Remarkably, this development also brings back some familiar faces from the One Piece series, including several villains. Previously, Oda has expressed his affinity for these villains and consistently demonstrates a desire to bring them back with even greater strength.

Oda’s Early One Piece Villains

Oda’s Early Villains Were Weak
Some Of Them Have Returned

In my viewpoint, the antagonists in “One Piece” are often underestimated, which is understandable given the sprawling nature and abundance of intriguing elements in this vast world. For instance, in the East Blue, Eiichiro Oda introduced several captivating villains, but when compared to the formidable ones that have emerged later, they seem rather ordinary. Characters like Don Krieg or Arlong pale in comparison to powerhouses like Kaido. Even as we delve deeper into the Grand Line, some villains, despite being genuinely intimidating, are deemed weak by many. Take Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, for example. He engaged Luffy in a battle and, unfortunately for him, lost. Enel, who followed closely behind, also failed to match Luffy’s power. Rob Lucci, who was the main antagonist during the Water 7 Saga, was quite strong at the time, but by modern standards, he doesn’t make much of an impact.

There are plenty of rookies who are all talk, just like you, Straw Hat Luffy. — Crocodile

In a sense, it’s unfortunate that some of Oda’s villains were introduced prematurely in the narrative, despite their potential for fantastic, overpowered characters. These villains appeared early on, which meant they had to be handled by Luffy at some point. Crocodile is a clear illustration of this issue; given his status as a powerful figure who was known worldwide and had traveled to the New World, it seemed he was introduced into the story too soon. Considering the magnitude of power he wielded, it felt almost unbelievable that Luffy managed to defeat him so decisively.

For Enel, and a few others too, fans often criticize them for being weak and underwhelming. Interestingly, Oda seems to acknowledge these complaints by subtly addressing them in the narrative itself.

How Oda Makes Weak Villains Stronger

Oda Loves To Bring Back Villains Stronger

One thing that Oda is particularly fond of in One Piece is introducing significant antagonists early on, only to have their roles expand as the story progresses. However, it’s not pleasant for him to hear fans dismiss these villains as weak. Consequently, when the right moment arises, he decides to revisit these characters and dramatically amplify their power levels compared to their initial appearances.

As a storyteller, it grates on me when my audience criticizes the characters in One Piece. For instance, if they comment, “This villain is weak,” it sparks a response within me: “I’ll beef up this villain to make him formidable!” – Eiichiro Oda, 2014

It is evident that Oda consistently adheres to this approach, and there are many instances where this can be observed. For example, Sir Crocodile, a character who some might argue was introduced prematurely, was defeated by Luffy during the Arabasta arc. Afterward, he was incarcerated by the Navy in Impel Down. However, years later, Crocodile resurfaced, notably when Luffy broke into Impel Down and freed numerous prisoners. At this point, Crocodile allied with Luffy, demonstrating that he had significantly increased his strength. He could match Luffy’s Gear 2 and a powerful Fishman like Jinbe.

It’s not just that, during the Paramount War, Crocodile engaged in combat with Doflamingo, matching him blow for blow. He also faced Dracule Mihawk and managed to hold him off effortlessly, and even managed to halt Akainu, allowing Luffy to survive. In short, Crocodile fought almost everyone during the Paramount War and managed to keep his own against all of them. What’s remarkable is that he was able to do this. Now, in the New World, Crocodile is a part of the Cross Guild and is a pirate with a bounty of 1.965 billion berries. He has grown even stronger and is easily among the strongest commanders of the Yonko.

Just like Lucci, something analogous occurred. Initially, fans were introduced to him as a CP9 agent when he was defeated by Luffy. However, following the story’s time jump, Lucci had significantly grown in strength. He even demonstrated his extraordinary awakening, allowing him to match Luffy in combat. It’s evident that Lucci underwent a significant transformation after the timeskip and continues to play a notable role within the storyline today.

Will More Old Villains Return In One Piece?

It Is Very Likely That Old One Piece Characters Will Come Back

Similar to Crocodile and Lucci, it’s likely that additional characters from One Piece will resurface at some stage. It’s widely believed among fans that Enel could play a significant part in the Final Saga, given his current location on the moon. Upon his return, he’ll undoubtedly be stronger than ever, and fans can anticipate him to master other forms of Haki, ultimately revealing his full combat potential.

Gecko Moria might significantly contribute to the Final Saga as well. It seems Oda is setting something up for him since he was captured by Blackbeard and then released. Fans can anticipate that when Moria reappears, he’ll likely be more powerful than before.

In the same vein, old characters like Gin might reappear in the narrative, just as fresh villains from recent introductions, such as Doflamingo, could. Regardless of when they were first introduced, these characters have the potential to significantly impact the plot and do so with greater power than ever before. So, fans should simply remain patient and anticipate the story’s progression.

You can access the popular manga series “One Piece” through Viz Media. Officially and free of charge, fans can read it on both Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. Mark your calendars for February 23, 2025, as that’s when the next chapter, One Piece 1140, will be released.

2025-02-13 02:56