Oda reveals why he doesn't revive dead characters

This article contains spoilers about the Elbaf Arc of One Piece.

Key points

• Oda killed some characters before the timeskip, but many others died after the timeskip.
• Oda has strict rules against resurrecting dead characters in One Piece.
• Deaths in the final saga will increase, but with a purpose and not for shock value.

Eiichiro Oda, the author of One piecehe has a lot of rules when it comes to writing his manga. By following these rules, Oda created what may be considered the greatest manga of all time and, for many, the greatest story ever told. One piece he's special in many ways, and Oda was only able to make him as special as he is by adhering to what appealed to his childhood identity. One of those things is the idea of ​​rejecting the revival of characters in his story.

As fans know, One piece doesn't really see characters brought back from the dead. There's a big reason for this and Oda talked about it previously in great detail, which is exactly what we're discussing here.

The many dead characters of One Piece

• Oda killed very few characters before the timeskip
• More characters started dying in One Piece post Timeskip

Between the One piece fans, a common belief is that Oda doesn't like killing off his characters. This is partly true, and Oda himself has spoken about the fact that he prefers not to kill his characters at all. But that doesn't mean that Oda doesn't kill off his characters, and it certainly doesn't mean that One Piece lacks intensity in any way. For example, in the time jump preceding One Piece, two important deaths, those of Whitebeard and Ace, definitively shook the entire world of One Piece. Oda's deaths are significant, and the impact they have not only on the current arc, but also subsequent ones, is incredible. This is exactly why Oda chooses to only kill characters who influence the overall plot in many ways and shake the entire world.

In One Piece's post-timeskip, Oda killed multiple characters. This essentially shatters the idea that he doesn't kill off his characters and while these fake outs happen in One Piece, a significant portion of the characters end up dying in one way or another. For example, fans saw Vergo and Monet die at the beginning of Punk Hazard. In Whole Cake Island, Pedro ended up dying, and in subsequent arcs other characters continued to die. In Wano Country, fans saw the likes of Izo and Ashura die, along with Shimotsuki Yasuie. Meanwhile, Yonko Kaido and Big Mom's whereabouts remain unknown following the events of the Wano story arc.

In the Final Saga, Oda took things up a notch and killed more characters than ever before. In the Egghead Island arc alone, Oda successfully managed to kill Vegapunk's original body, Saint Donquixote Mjosgard, King Cobra of Arabasta, Vegapunk's satellites, and even Saint Saturn. Clearly, Oda is more serious than ever about killing off his characters, and this will obviously continue as the series gets more intense than ever with the Elbaf Arc.

When we talk about killing characters, the idea of ​​reviving them also comes up. Often, fans find themselves deeply connected to the many characters in a particular story. When they are killed off, they feel like so much of what made them like the series has been taken away from them and that's exactly why many of them want the characters to return. However, in the case of One Piece, Oda has strictly prohibited the return of the characters. Characters whose fates remain mysterious may return later, as in the case of Saul, but those who end up dying never truly return.

Oda reveals why he won't bring back dead characters

Oda doesn't want the dead characters to return

Oda has already talked about the characters he has killed, and said that even though he has to kill characters at some points, he doesn't like to do it too often. This is because, ultimately, he wants to design large banquets following each arc One pieceand if characters are dying left, right and centre, there would be no point in having banquets. Oda wants to finish One piece in a big party, and if all the best characters died, Luffy's journey would be absolutely useless.

At the same time, Oda also stated that reviving characters for those who end up dying is absolutely out of the question and here's why:

Question: Why didn't you create a manga like other mangaka where dead characters are resurrected?

Oda: The rebirth of a human being is not natural, right? (laughs) If a mangaka ends up resurrecting the dead, he shouldn't have killed that character in the first place. My characters don't die even if they are thrown into a desperate situation.

On top of that, I've hated reviving dead characters since I was a kid. It made me doubt a mangaka, like “The reason this mangaka revived a certain character might be because the character was popular…” I won't do what I doubted as a child and I'll do what I wanted a mangaka to do.

It's been 10 years since I started OP, but my criteria haven't changed to suit my 15 year old self. – Oda

Because more deaths are coming in the final saga of One Piece

The final saga will see more characters die than ever before

The final saga of One piece has officially begun, and as is clear from the Egghead Island story arc, deaths will increase now more than ever. Only Egghead has seen Oda kill more than five characters, which is unheard of. This means that as the story continues, more characters will continue to die and the series will also see more important characters die, such as those of the same stature as Whitebeard and Ace. That said, fans shouldn't get too excited, because Oda still won't kill off the characters necessary for the story to be lighthearted.

At the end of the day, One piece manages to create incredibly emotional plots and does so without needlessly killing off characters. A significant portion of fans tend to think that deaths make a story more mature and, consequently, more suited to adult tastes. Of course, this childish way of thinking is completely absurd, since deaths do not make a story good or bad. Characters not dying in a story or dying more in a story have little to do with the good plot itself or the rich and engaging world itself. One piece will continue to follow the formula established by Oda years ago, and whether or not the characters die in the end, One piece will maintain a heartwarming and positive tone, with the story ending with a giant banquet, as previously stated by Oda. There will never be deaths just for the sake of it One pieceregardless of what many fans might want.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1132, is set for December 1, 2024.