One Piece manga is seeing things get very exciting in the Elbaph arc as the series’ supposed final villain, Imu, the King of the World, continues his dominance in the fight, which has also presented an opportunity to incorporate one of the series’ most missing elements that is becoming necessary now. However, the latest chapter might have lost that chance. In over two and a half decades of One Piece‘s serialization, the series has incorporated almost every element known for making a story compelling. This is solidified by how the series has introduced hundreds of characters that add to its diversity.
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However, there is still one element that the series has largely refrained from, and it is death. To be precise, One Piece does feature deaths, but they almost always occur in backstories, something fans have become accustomed to given the context, while the series rarely features major deaths in real time. The last major deaths that added an element of surprise to the series came during the Marineford arc, with Ace’s death and Whitebeard also dying at the end of the arc. Since then, there has been no major death in real time, and the series even brought back Saul, who was supposedly dead. Amid this, however, the Elbaph arc had created an opportunity to feature this element, with Scopper Gaban being positioned for it, but the series has now seemingly squandered that opportunity.
One Piece Misses the Chance to Feature an Emotional Death in the Elbaph Arc
Scopper Gaban has been one of the more mysterious characters of the Elbaph arc, but he has constantly become a lovable character through his nuances, while also emerging as a new teacher to Luffy and the Straw Hats, giving his character even more gravity. As Luffy and Imu’s battle escalated, with Imu proving the difference in their strength, Gaban intervened and saved Luffy from death. With Luffy down and Gaban insisting that there is still more for him to learn, Gaban took on Imu alone and positioned himself as a sacrifice, as evident from how Imu was able to cut off one of his hands.
Given that Gaban had an emotional impact on Luffy, his death in the latest chapter would have provided the emotional growth Luffy needed. However, the latest chapter sees Hajrudin, Loki, and even Luffy get back up to fight Imu, effectively removing the position in which Gaban could have died. This not only loses the opportunity to feature a compelling death but also undermines Imu’s presence as a strong and evil final villain. The death of a compelling character at Imu’s hands would have solidified his position as the ruthless King of the World who has ruled for centuries.
But the series is losing this opportunity as the new chapter highlights that the strength of the union is still greater than that of the King of the World, even amid the chaos, where the Straw Hats still have to learn new techniques to fight these immortal villains. If the series follows through with this, One Piece might still give Luffy the emotional growth he needs while once again highlighting the need for training and the sacrifices he still has to make to become the Pirate King. But for now, One Piece yet again refrains from employing character deaths, despite having hundreds of characters and the opportunity to fix one of the biggest complaints fans have about the series.
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