One Piece Creator Reveals Why Chopper's Design Was Changed
There is no denying that One Piece has a lot of characters, but when it comes down to it, there are no pirates more popular than those in Luffy's crew. The Straw Hat gang has been around for decades now, and fans have their favorites within the team. Of course, Chopper is high on the list for many given his adorable design, and now the creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, is owning up to why the doctor's design was changed years ago.
The update comes courtesy of a recent interview where Oda spoke with Gosho Aoyama, the creator of Detective Conan. During their chat, the pair discussed how their series' anime impacted their manga, and Oda said his show prompted him to give Chopper a makeover.
In the interview, Oda agreed with Aoyama when the creator said there are times they change a character after hearing their voice actor in the anime. "I also changed Chopper to a mascot character after hearing the anime voice," Oda shared. "I have a policy of not wanting to draw mascots, but Otani Ikue's voice was too cute."
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For those who may recall, One Piece gave Chopper a very big makeover once he debuted. Back when he was introduced, the anime had a different aesthetic overall, but Chopper's proportions weren't as chibi as they are today. The doctor looked like a mini reindeer as expected, but as the anime went on, Chopper was given traditionally kawaii features. These changes were prompted as Oda inked this design in the manga, and now we have the design we're familiar with today.
In the end, it turns out Oda changed up Chopper all because of Ikue's performance in the recording boot. It is up to One Piece fans to decide whether or not they like the pirate's new look, but the doctor seems happy enough with it. Now, if only the World Government would up the poor reindeer's bounty...
What do you think about One Piece's current design for Chopper? Do you like their first look better or...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.