Top 10 Biggest One Piece Controversies

Most long-running anime struggle with pacing issues. When both the anime and manga are being released weekly, it can be difficult to keep a consistent pace. This is why a lot of older anime introduce filler, so that they don’t catch up to the manga too quickly, and the non-filler episodes can be of higher quality. “One Piece” used to follow this mentality until the time skip, when they decided to get rid of filler altogether. This means the pacing has become frustratingly bad, with each chapter being adapted into one episode. The fan-made “One Pace” aims to solve this, and Toei is also re-editing Fish-Man Island to correct this, but the pacing will still put many off watching.

The “One Piece” fandom came up with a rather controversial fan theory in 2021, with them believing Zoro to be a racist, who prefers to fight darker-skinned opponents. The first evidence for this comes from Zoro calling Arlong a “darn, dirty half-fish”. While Arlong is a fish fascist, it doesn’t give Zoro a free pass to be racist towards him. Additional evidence fans have gravitated towards includes creator Eiichiro Oda saying that if Zoro wasn’t a pirate, he’d be a police officer. While it is a meme funny for being far-reaching, some people take it too far, and the meme itself has been called racist. For example, some people seriously think it’s true, and will harass non-white “One Piece” fans for liking the character of Zoro.

Whitebeard’s Jolly Roger was originally a picture of his face on top of a Manji symbol. For those who don’t know, the Manji is a symbol in Japan, which is a flipped version of the swastika. It symbolizes compassion, prosperity, and balance in Buddhism, representing the Dharma wheel. The Nazi party took the right-facing manji, tilted it at a 45-degree angle, and used it to represent their hateful ideology. Hence, in the West, we associate the symbol with fascism, whereas in Asia, it’s associated with Buddhism. As such, Oda had to redesign the symbol, which was tattooed on Ace’s back, and replaced the Manji with bones, so people wouldn’t associate Whitebeard with fascism.

Devil Fruits are a widely loved magic system, allowing for tons of creative and unique powers. Pre-timeskip, Devil Fruits were the only magic system “One Piece” focused on. It was strongly hinted at before the time skip, and even Sabo managed to use it in the war. Following the time skip, Haki became much more focused on, and many fans quickly began to dislike it. It’s nowhere near as creative or interesting as the Devil Fruits, feeling like a bland and generic anime magic system. A lot of battles used to feature interesting Devil Fruit dynamics, which are still present. But many are just two opponents trying to one-up each other’s Haki, which many find dull.

Many “One Piece” fans are completely fed up with the arguments surrounding Yamato’s gender, with good reason. Yamato is Kaido’s child, originally introduced as a woman, and called the Oni Princess by Kaido’s crew. Things got confusing when Yamato started calling themselves the reincarnation of Kozuki Oden. From then on, everyone started referring to Yamato as a man, including Kaido and the Beast Pirates. Arguments in the fandom ensued, with some fans saying Yamato is just a woman who admires Oden, and others saying they’re a trans-man. Oda also included Yamato in the best female character cover spread, getting people even more riled up. At this point, everyone is fed up with the arguing.

4Kids created an English dub of “One Piece” between 2004 and 2007, covering only 143 episodes of the show. It was notoriously bad, because it was a dub aimed at children. But the source material’s target audience is much older. This meant they heavily censored the show, especially the deaths, even when they were plot essential. They also removed alcohol consumption and replaced cigarettes with lollipops. Even worse, major plot points were taken out since 39 episodes were cut, meaning multiple arcs were skipped completely. Eventually, it was discontinued, ending with the Straw Hats comically being killed by a falling ship.

During the time skip, Sanji is sent to Momoiro Island, which hosts the Kamabakka Kingdom, home to “those with a heart of a maiden”. This translates to “full of transvestites”, and is the home of Emporio Ivankov, owner of the Horu Horu no Mi - the hormone fruit. Sanji hates this place, since it’s full of trans-women, which he doesn’t consider to be real women. Many fans find this island transphobic, especially since the trans characters are designed to look so bizarre and ugly. After leaving, when Sanji arrives at Sabaody Island, he’s suddenly stunned at the sight of “real women”, showing a transphobic side to both him and Oda.

How Oda draws women has always been heavily criticized, with most women being conventionally attractive, having ridiculous proportions, and their faces all being identical to Nami’s. Oda even once told a fan “think of the female figure as three circles and one x”. In the same paragraph, he also acknowledged that “your female readers will send you many criticisms. Try to remain strong and dedicated”. The women who don’t have this body type are always bizarrely designed, with no woman existing in between extremely attractive and completely grotesque. It reinforces misogynistic stereotypes, and doesn’t help to improve society’s often harmful beauty standards.

Ever since Sanji’s introduction, he’s been a huge womanizer. Many fans believe this running joke to have gone on way too long, and that over 1000 episodes in, he shouldn’t still be acting like an immature teenage boy. Whole Cake Island went heavily into his backstory, and his relationship with Pudding hinted he would finally grow. It showcases his capacity for empathy, and that he surprisingly can treat women like humans. Unfortunately, all this emotional growth is undone in Wano, with Sanji using his Germa suit to sneak into the women’s bathhouse. Many are frustrated by this, wishing he would grow up, and stop treating women like objects to be ogled.

When Nico Robin was first introduced, she had darker skin. As the anime went on, it became noticeably lighter, and her appearance shifted towards a more conventionally Eurocentric beauty standard. This was also the case for Usopp, and some fans have called it a form of whitewashing. Others argue the manga has always been black and white, that Oda always intended her skin color to be lighter, and that it was Toei who got it wrong. Some believe when they met, she had spent years living on a desert island. During the time skip, she spent two years on a winter island, losing her tan. No one knows for sure, but it would’ve been nice if they kept a more diverse cast of Straw Hats.

What aspect of “One Piece” did you find most controversial? Let us know in the comments below!