One Piece Is Already Causing Controversy With New Holy Knight

The One Piece manga is currently in its Elbaf Arc and already causing controversy for something the show has been doing for 27 years. As a Shonen manga, Eiichiro Oda doesn’t hold back fanservice to keep the young audience engaged. Hence, the designs regarding female characters have always been a topic of debate among fans. The Egghead Island, in particular, saw some revealing clothes for the female characters, even Bonney, who is technically 12 years old, and York, a 16-year-old girl. And Oda has done it again with a Holy Knight. The Giants are holding a banquet to welcome the Straw Hat Pirates to their land.

Amid the celebration, two mysterious figures arrive in Chapter 1134 using the same summoning circle Gorosei used. The man looks like Shanks while the woman’s face is covered. The latest One Piece Chapter 1136 reveals the woman’s name is Gunko and introduces us to her incredible powers. She has arrived in Elbaf to recruit Loki as one of the members of the Holy Knights. They are the official law enforcers of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise and rank above other World Nobles. However, Loki refuses their offer and Gunko ends up fighting his wolf. Although her face is still hidden, the chapter reveals her full character design, which is controversial, to say the least.

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One Piece Fans Debate Over Gunko’s Outfit

Gunko is wearing formal attire but fans believe the top and bottom don’t match. Her design reminds us of Smoothie and every female character in Egghead except Lilith. However, unlike the previous casual attire, Oda chooses to make her outfit look more formal.

Popular One Piece theorist and YouTuber @newworldartur shares, “Lost in Translation: Gunko is wearing a gakuran, a traditional Japanese school uniform. In some cases, particularly anime culture, gakuran have been associated with delinquents, as well as wearing short skirts …though Oda is obviously exaggerating here.”

He further explains, “Thought it was pretty clear, but obviously, it’s not a “cultural thing” to wear no pants in Japan lol. Anime often associates gakuran with short skirts (and delinquents, like Jotaro), but Oda basically exaggerated this a lot, even Japanese fans are finding the design whack.”

This confirms that although the initial idea of the design is actually interesting, fans are unhappy with the unnecessary fanservice. Gunko’s design is being criticized by Japanese and international fans. Even though some fans are defending it, the controversy doesn’t seem to die down anytime soon. Another reason for the dissatisfaction is Gunko’s status as a Holy Knight and a Celestial Dragon. Loki is an exception but Holy Knights are usually World Nobles, who hold the highest authority in the world. And yet, her attire doesn’t command presence as one would expect from her noble status.

Furthermore, although her age hasn’t been revealed, she appears to be very young. Oda has faced criticism in the past for making minors like Rebecca and York wear inappropriate outfits. One Piece is already the best-selling manga in history and its popularity only keeps rising thanks to the anime and the live-action adaptation. Hence, a lot of fans also believe that the series doesn’t need fanservice anymore.

H/T: @newworldartur