Summary
TheOne Piecefranchise has one of the most legendary and iconic casts of characters in the entire anime industry. From terrifying pirates who control the seas to Marines who hold steadfast against the coming onslaught, this series offers some of the most diverse and nuanced heroes and villains one can find in any story. Due to this amazing facet of storytelling, many female characters have also, naturally, been brought to the limelight.
Of course, thebig names such as Nami and Robinoften lead the poles when it comes to the most beloved characters, but there are many other women inOne Piecewho are just as interesting, if not more so. However, there is a growing sentiment among some fans who say thatOne Piecefails its female characters, so let’s tackle this claim to see if this is really the case.
Main Reasons For Criticism
Hyper-sexualization, familiar story tropes, stereotyped roles in arcs
The treatment of many ofOne Piece’sfemale characters has left a lot to be desired for some fans of the series. There are many complaints that they have, but the most prominent of these has to do with the under-representation in the grander scheme of the story, where they say that the female characters tend to be pushed to the waysidein the greater conflict. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but those are few and far between.
These fans tend to point to some of the most significant story arcs in the series where, despite being vital members of the Straw Hat crew, Nami and Robin tend to have very little to do with the overarching plot of the specific arc for the most part. Those who do have a big role are often represented as damsels in distress, which is a story beat that almost every single arc has. Notable examples that come to mind are Nami in Arlong Park, Vivi in Alabasta, Robin in Enies Lobby, Shirahoshi in Fishman Island, and Rebecca in Dressrosa, among others.
Many feel that this trope is overplayed in the series and the need to have something like this in most of the arcs greatlydownplays the role and importanceof female characters, as they tend to wait for their male counterparts to save them. Of course, there are a few story arcs here and there that subvert this trope, but an exception is never the rule, so the majority ofOne Piecearcs do follow this beat.
Moreover, one of the greatest examples of the franchise failing its female characters has to do with their hyper-sexualization. This is a divisive topic for many, but the truth of the matter is that most of the women in the franchise have incredibly sexualized and exaggerated physiques that objectify them greatly, even within the series itself. Too often do many of the female characters use their looks or bodies to gain an advantage over others, which greatly takes away from otherwise nuanced and well-written characters.
If we lose, they’ll snatch me up because I’m so cute. We can’t let that happen!
Going along with this, there is also a common complaint of too many of the main female characters having similar or uninspired designs. Whereas Nami was the blueprint, many characters after her can barely be differentiated from her, especially in the manga where everything is black and white. The mostnotable examples of this are Viviand Rebecca, who look identical to Nami except for their hairstyles, which rubs many the wrong way since they just consider their designs to be lazy.
The worst case for the latter character was that her gladiator attire barely covered her body at all, which was made even more problematic to Western audiences due to her age being 16. Of course, there is a cultural bias here, but the problem remains as such for much of the world. In the current day, very few remember Rebecca at all as a character but do remember her design, but not because it’s a good design. Finally, some even have a problem with the fact that female characters very rarely face off against the main antagonists of an arc.
WhyOne PieceDoesn’t Fail Its Female Characters
A Rejection Of This Claim
While there are undoubtedly valid criticisms about the quality of the female characters inOne Pieceand how they are treated, many proponents of these disapprovals tend to miss what Oda has done right with regard to these women. Firstly, some of the most important and well-written characters in the entire story are women, withNico Robin particularly coming to mind.
Sure, she did play the role of the damsel in distress in the Enies Lobby arc, but the way her entire character arc and backstory were handled is nothing short of masterful. Since she had always been demonized and spent the majority of her life on the run from the law, she forced herself to believe that she didn’t deserve to live and that she would be better off dead. None could ever get close to her and those who did simply used her, reinforcing the belief in herself of her misgivings.
I want to live!
However, Luffy and the Straw Hats stepped up to be her family when no one else would, making her believe that she did have a right to live, in one of the greatest moments in the entire series. Although this is a brief example given for the sake of brevity,One Pieceis full of many more examples of female characters having amazing moments where they shine, such as when Nami refused to bow to someone far stronger than her due to her belief in Luffy, or even the fact that Shirahoshi, despite seeming like a weakling, being one of the world’s most powerful entities.Big Mom also comes to mind, as one of the strongest pirates in the history of the franchise.
As stated earlier, there are many valid criticisms regarding this topic that Oda should absolutely address, such as over-sexualization and the lack of female representation of the warrior trope. However, it’s unlikely that the franchise as a whole fails its female characters, since some of the best-written and most complex characters in the series are women, clearly showing that while Oda has things he needs to fix, he can clearly write amazing female characters.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
