One Piece: Why Eiichiro Oda Couldn’t Save Ace From His “Cruel” Fate

One Piece has spent nearly 30 years sailing the seas, and in that time, we have seen the Straw Hat Crew do all sorts of things. From fated fights to overdue reunions, there is little that Monkey D. Luffy has missed in life. His journey to become the King of the Pirates has been intense, but to this day, no grief can compare to what Luffy experienced at Marineford. It was there Luffy watched his older brother’s life end, and series creator Eiichiro Oda knew the death was unavoidable.

The confession comes from Oda himself as the creator has had years to think over the scene in question. As fans of One Piece know, Luffy was at Marineford to save Ace from execution after he was turned into the Marines. The ordeal sparked a war as pirates across the Grand Line gathered to rescue Ace, but it was all for naught. In order to save Luffy’s life from Akainu, Ace sacrificed himself before a lethal attack, and he was able to share some final words before passing.

To this day, Ace’s farewell remains one of the most famous moments in One Piece, and voice actress Mayumi Tanaka struggled to accepted the situation. In an interview from 2022, the actress revealed she asked Oda about Ace’s fate and stressed just how unfair it felt.

“The ending where Luffy went to save Ace but couldn’t is too cruel,” she told Oda. And in return, the creator of One Piece admitted he knew Ace had to die from the start of the series.

“In order to make Luffy one step stronger, I drew Ace as a dying character since the very beginning.”

Of course, Ace’s memory has pushed Luffy to become the absolute behemoth we know today. The boy has always dreamed big, and in the wake of Ace dying, Luffy dedicated himself to training. From Dressrosa to Wano and Egghead Island, we have seen the fruits of Luffy’s training. After losing his older brother, the future King of the Pirates is determined to keep those he loves safe. So even though his absence stings, Ace’s legacy is as clear as day in One Piece.

Want to know more about Oda’s hit series? You can check out the One Piece anime everywhere from Netflix to Hulu and Crunchyroll. So for more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

“As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer “Red-Haired” Shanks. But Luffy’s life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure…one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world…”

What do you think about this One Piece confession? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!