One Piece Creator Reveals Why They Don’t Take Story Suggestions

The creator of One Piece has made a story that millions of fans have grown up with. Eiichiro Oda had no way of knowing how popular the Straw Hats would be, but Monkey D. Luffy has only benefitted from the fame. Of course, that means there are a lot of fans who had ideas of what the hero should do next, but Oda clarified to one fan why he’s not the kind to ever take story suggestions.

The answer resurfaced over on Reddit when a Q&A with Oda was shown to fans. It was there a One Piece fan asked Oda why he never asks for contest submissions, and the mangaka admitted he doesn’t take suggestions from just about anybody.

“It might sound a little cold, but I don’t want other people’s ideas. Sometimes the staff from Jump will change, but the first thing I always say to the new guys is, ‘Don’t give me any ideas.’ The characters and the story are all mine! I want that self-confidence,” Oda wrote.

“I think that as soon as you start relying on someone else, it just keeps going. And then if you don’t succeed, you think it’s someone else’s fault. Simply put, I want to succeed or fail on my own strengths.”

It looks like Oda is a pretty straightforward guy who likes to be self-reliant. There is no harm in workshopping a story, but things can get out of hand when you start using outsider opinions without careful thinking. Oda has been sailing Luffy’s ship for decades now, and there is no one who knows the character better. So when it comes to bigger plot points and characters, Oda wants to keep things close to the chest.

“If it’s something that’s not related to the main story, I don’t mind getting some ideas. Like background info for animals and the Straw Hats,” Oda continued.

Clearly, the One Piece creator draws to his own beat, and that is a trait everyone can admire. Oda has not led the hit series astray yet, and his most recent work with Wano proves his storytelling skills are sharper than ever.

What do you think about Oda’s insistence on avoiding story suggestions? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!