One Piece Creator Expresses the Importance of a Strong Female Cast

One Piece's creator explains why his female characters are so strong and independent.


One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has said it was vital for the heroines of the manga to be strong, capable women.


Oda recently sat down with the New York Times to discuss the popular franchise ahead of its live-action adaptation debut. Many topics were brought up during the interview and things eventually shifted to the portrayal of the women in One Piece. At this, Oda happily noted that to him, it was important to show his female characters, especially his heroines, being capable characters alongside the male characters.


One Piece Creator Supports Powerful Women in Fiction


He spoke about “women with intelligence like Robin, or with abilities like Nami.” He further noted that even the villainous women of One Piece had strength and capabilities that put them on par with the male cast, both good and bad. Other characters that have stood out over the years thanks to Oda’s writing include Black Maria, Cindry, Boa Hancock, Yamato, Reiju, Tashigi, and more. The series has been praised over the years for how its female characters have been handled in the franchise.


To Oda, that instinct to write his female characters a certain way was due to the mangas he read as a child. He revealed in the interview that many of the mangas he went through had female characters “exist just to be rescued,” a trope that has permeated many forms of media over the years. Oda didn’t like this kind of story and endeavored not to use it in his series. Instead, he made women who could hold their own with their brains, brawn, and skills, and should they be in trouble, they knew their shipmates could be there to back them up in a pinch. Plus, they would do the same for their counterparts without hesitation.


His belief in strong characters, specifically strong female characters, is one of the many reasons why fans are curious about the upcoming Netflix adaptation of One Piece. The trailers have already shown the fan-favorite character Nami, and other female characters will likely appear in the first season. Plus, if the second season is approved, even more characters, both good and bad, will arrive to deal with the Straw Hat Pirates. Live-action anime adaptations have a mixed record, at best, and Oda himself noted that he’s pushing for his series to be the one to break the streak.


One Piece season one will be available on Netflix on August 30, 2023.

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