One Pieceis undoubtedly a legendary anime, passing into history due to its incredible story and world-building. However, certain scenes from the adaptation of Eichiro Oda’s manga haven’t aged as well as fans may expect. With more than a thousand episodes,it’s obvious that not every scene ofOne Piecewill hold up to modern scrutiny.
One Pieceis set to have an anime remake to improve the animation quality and flaws in Toei Animation’s adaptation, like its pacing. Yet, someOne Piecemoments feel especially inconsistent or controversial on a rewatch. Either due to some uncomfortable writing decisions or characterization inconsistencies, theseOne Piecescenes may feel out of place for fans in today’s panorama.
10Luffy and Zoro’s Fight in Whiskey Peak
One Piece Episode #66
While fallouts are common among crewmates, Luffy and Zoro’s fight at Whiskey Peak is a controversial scene that most fans prefer to forget due to how unnatural it felt, lacking proper characterization beyond serving as a gag. This became more evident after Luffy and Usopp’s fight at Water 7, which helped both characters grow and understand each other.
Luffy didn’t trust Zoro and refused to listen to himwhen he tried to explain that they were under attack. Since Roronoa Zoro has demonstrated throughout the series that he stands out above the rest of the Straw Hats in terms of loyalty to Luffy, this scene just felt unnecessary for manyOne Piecefans on a rewatch.
9Zoro’s Opinion on Women
One Piece Episode #613
Roronoa Zoro has shown a dislike of using his full strength against weaker opponents. This is because Zoro’s fighting style reflects bushido principles, based on honor and avoiding taking advantage of weaker opponents. Unfortunately,Zoro’s treatment of women has been questioned since Punk Hazard’s Arc, where Tashigi misunderstands that he doesn’t take female fighters seriously and won’t hurt them.
Zoro took advantage of this misunderstanding to intimidate Monet, attacking her and allowing Tashigi to finish the battle. However, many viewers claimed that, by not using Haki, Zoro failed to assess the threat of a Zoan user because she was a woman. Because of this, this scene is used as an example to criticizeOne Piece’s treatment of female characters.
8Pell’s Grave
One Piece Episode #130
Pell’s “death” in the Arabasta Arc went from a peak moment in the saga to merely a shock factor when he is revealed to be alive in episode 130. But Pell’s sacrifice is not only infamously remembered as the first fakeout death inOne Piece,but also for how disappointing the revelation was in the anime.
One of the most controversial things inOne Pieceis the fake deaths throughout the story.
The anime made Pell’s survival reveal worseby including a filler cliffhanger where he’s shocked to see his grave upon returning to the capital. Since this scene was never followed up in theOne Pieceanime with a meaningful reunion between Pell and Vivi, showing his grave seemed like a pointless addition that has only infuriated fans over the years.
7Harmful Stereotypes in One Piece: Heart of Gold
One Piece: Heart of Gold
One Piece’s humor often uses extravagant character features, but it wasn’t as well-received in the design of the antagonist trio ofHeart of Gold, asTreasure, Naomi Drunk, and Psycho P have dark skin and exaggerated big lips. Moreover, their mouths were highlighted by a different color than their skin, which has racist undertones as it’s related to minstrelsy.
One Piecehas one of the best representations of discrimination and racism in anime, but that doesn’t exempt the anime from having some problematic depictions, such as the character Tacos or the Okama.
Likewise, Psycho P’s devil fruit is related to graffiti, and he talks through rapping, which are stereotypes of Black people. While Black characters have been portrayed with offensive stereotypes in anime, most franchises are avoiding it, such asShaman KingandOne-Punch Man. Furthermore,One Piecehas great Black characters, which makes theHeart of Gold’s character design even worse.
6Sanji’s Fantasy With 8-Year-Old Nami
One Piece Film: Z
Sanji has some questionable actions throughoutOne Piecedue to his obsession with women, especially Nami and Robin, butthe Straw Hat’s cook crossed a line with a controversial commentinOne Piece Film: Z.After Nami is transformed by Ain into her eight-year-old self using the Modo no Mi mode, Sanji debates whether he prefers her real age.
One Piece’s author, Eichiro Oda, revealed in an interviewshared on Redditthat he supervisedOne Piece Film: Zto avoid any mischaracterization of the Straw Hats, which means he approved of Sanji’s controversial scene.
Sanji states that he would like to watch Nami “mature” before fantasizing about Nami going through different life stages, starting with her eight-year-old version. While this is just a joke without a harmful intention, it could also be interpreted as child sexualization. While this was criticized duringOne Piecefilm’s release, it also helpedworsen Sanji’s reputation.
5Absalom’s Creepy Behavior Towards Nami
One Piece Episode #341
Absalom displayed controversial behavior towards Nami in the Thriller Bark Arc. Absalom not only peeks at Nami while she is taking a bath but also grabs her by force, in an uncomfortable scene, while she is still naked. While this scene may only be meant to showcase Absalom’s perverted tendencies, it was rightfully criticized by fans.
Yet what made it worse is that Nami’s aggression and physical abuse were taken lightly later by Sanji’s jealousy of Absalom’s powers. Manyfans have found Nami’s assault unnecessary over the years, stating that it hurtsOne Piece’s story more than it helps it and is, unfortunately, further proof of the series' oversexualization and excessive fanservice.
4Franky’s Forceful Kiss in Dressrosa
One Piece Episode #693
Franky’s stolen kiss from Kyuin, the factory manager in the Dressrosa Arc, is divisive amongOne Piecefans. While stealing a kiss carried a romantic notion in the past, it’s currently considered a personal violation. Furthermore, Sr. Pink and Franky blame Kyuin for getting into their fight, saying that a kiss was the only way to shut her up.
Getting upset over a kiss or two makes you just an immature little tramp
- Franky, One Piece Episode 693.
Franky dismissed Kyuin, saying she shouldn’t worry about a kiss or two. Even though this scene is a parody of macho characters in fiction, the scene can also be interpreted asOne Piece’s story condoning sexual harassment. While the scene has been around for more than 10 years, a similar one released today could spark some understandable backlash.
3Vander Decken’s Obsession With Shirahoshi
One Piece Episode #545
Vander Decken IX is arguably one ofOne Piece’s most hated characters for how he treated Shirahoshi. Vander Decken wanted to kidnap Shirahoshi for her powers, but he was also interested in her and wished to make her his wife. However, Vander Decken started pursuing Shirahoshi when she was only six years old, while he was 25 years old.
While this could be considered grooming, as he pursued her for a decade,One Piecedidn’t excuse a relationship with a minor, as even Decken thought of using the tamatebako to “fix her age.” Still,Decken’s stalker behavior and interest in a six-year-old Shirahoshiare enough to make viewers uncomfortable and will be even more highly criticized today.
2The Representation of the Kamabakka Kingdom
One Piece Episode #419
Sanji was sent to Momoiro Island beforeOne Piece’s time skip and was received by the population of the Kamabakka Kingdom, ruled by Emporio Ivankov. However, the Kamabakka Kingdom is inhabited by Okamas, men who dress like women, and while they were already seen in Impel Down’s New-Kama Land, Sanji was awfully rude towards them.
Additionally, the Okamas were depicted as exaggerated and only chasing Sanji to dress him like a woman, which is anoffensive representation of cross-dressers and gender benders. While this is only meant to be funny,One Piecelater has an amazing representation of a transgender character with Kiku in Wano’s Arc, making Kamabakka Kingdom sad for fans.
1Jewelry Bonney’s Sexualization
One Piece Episode #392
One Piecehas sparked controversy due to the sexualization of its female characters and the poor taste of certain fan service scenes, giving too much focus to breasts. This is true for Jewelry Bonney, one of the pirates from the Worst Generation, as she has always been shown in tight, revealing clothes.
However,it was later revealed that Bonney is only 12 years old. This revelation made fans reject Bonney’s initial sexualized character design. Yet, not even after she is revealed to be a child does the anime stop Bonney’s controversial treatment, which has completely thrown off some ofOne Piece’s fans.
