A thread on 5ch’s Live/Anime Board (なんでも実況G) about how Ace from One Piece died sparked heated discussion. Posters debated the plot point where he dies after falling for a provocation, the later-revealed backstory behind Whitebeard’s famous “no wounds on his back” detail, and whether a more satisfying death could have been written.
Opinions were also divided on why a character with main-character-tier bloodline ended up meeting this fate.
Doesn't look like this is ever getting reevaluated…
Take it back…
>>3
Absolutely not taking it back!
Absolutely not taking it back!
I actually like that you can see Oda agonizing over whether to kill Ace or not there.
And it's hilarious that he picked the worse of the two big options and that's where the decline started.
And it's hilarious that he picked the worse of the two big options and that's where the decline started.
>>14
If they'd kept him alive, they wouldn't have needed to bring in Sabo.
If they'd kept him alive, they wouldn't have needed to bring in Sabo.
"Luffy-Nika" (a nod to Luffy's Gear 5 "Nika" form): "I heal by binge-eating! Boing boing!"
Is Ace the only one getting bullied by the plot?
Is Ace the only one getting bullied by the plot?
>>15
Compared to Kuma ("Higuma," i.e. brown bear), whose reputation keeps climbing as an ever-stronger character,
everyone else's survivability has gotten so absurd that dying just makes you look like a weakling by comparison.
Compared to Kuma ("Higuma," i.e. brown bear), whose reputation keeps climbing as an ever-stronger character,
everyone else's survivability has gotten so absurd that dying just makes you look like a weakling by comparison.
Wait, how exactly did Ace get captured, and by whom again?
>>22
Wasn't he beaten by Blackbeard and captured on the spot?
I think that's the feat that got Blackbeard into the Warlords (Shichibukai).
Wasn't he beaten by Blackbeard and captured on the spot?
I think that's the feat that got Blackbeard into the Warlords (Shichibukai).
Compared to Rengoku, another fire-themed character (from Demon Slayer), Ace's death is just pathetic.
Ace: goes berserk, gets the Whitebeard Pirates half-wiped out, then dies after falling for a cheap provocation, throwing it all away for nothing.
Rengoku: dies protecting the protagonist and everyone else to the very end.
Ace: goes berserk, gets the Whitebeard Pirates half-wiped out, then dies after falling for a cheap provocation, throwing it all away for nothing.
Rengoku: dies protecting the protagonist and everyone else to the very end.
>>32
If the Stone Hashira had shown up nobody would've died though.
Demon Slayer has way too big a power gap between individual Hashira.
If the Stone Hashira had shown up nobody would've died though.
Demon Slayer has way too big a power gap between individual Hashira.
>>35
You think so? That seems like a pretty normal gap to me.
You think so? That seems like a pretty normal gap to me.
>>35
Even the Stone Hashira couldn't handle Akaza.
He hasn't awakened his Demon Mark yet, so he'd probably just die.
Even the Stone Hashira couldn't handle Akaza.
He hasn't awakened his Demon Mark yet, so he'd probably just die.
>>11
After all that talk about being "family," he just took the Navy's word at face value — really exposed how shallow those bonds actually were, lol.
After all that talk about being "family," he just took the Navy's word at face value — really exposed how shallow those bonds actually were, lol.
>>44
Exactly this.
The whole setup where he gets fooled that easily in the moment is just too sloppy ("osomatsu"-level, a pun on 粗末/"shoddy"). If it had been set up carefully well in advance, sure, but this…
Exactly this.
The whole setup where he gets fooled that easily in the moment is just too sloppy ("osomatsu"-level, a pun on 粗末/"shoddy"). If it had been set up carefully well in advance, sure, but this…
Honestly the writing itself is just weak.
Every single character just stands around doing nothing until it's their turn, then introduces themselves, does a little something, and that's it.
Handling a big cast is just not his strong suit.
Every single character just stands around doing nothing until it's their turn, then introduces themselves, does a little something, and that's it.
Handling a big cast is just not his strong suit.
>>45
It's like they're all just reading lines off a script.
It's like they're all just reading lines off a script.
This is around where the writing started getting noticeably weird.
Luffy not even recognizing his crewmates' faces after the two-year timeskip.
Sanji nearly dying for real from a nosebleed on Fish-Man Island.
Effortlessly dodging everything with Observation Haki.
Luffy not even recognizing his crewmates' faces after the two-year timeskip.
Sanji nearly dying for real from a nosebleed on Fish-Man Island.
Effortlessly dodging everything with Observation Haki.
>>54
Yeah, it really feels like things started going off the rails right around when he started writing Ace's death scene like it was meant to be moving.
Yeah, it really feels like things started going off the rails right around when he started writing Ace's death scene like it was meant to be moving.
Roger wiped out an entire country's army just because someone bad-mouthed his crew,
so it makes sense that Ace, with that same blood running through him, couldn't stand it either when his crew got mocked.
so it makes sense that Ace, with that same blood running through him, couldn't stand it either when his crew got mocked.
>>59
It's genuinely sad that he ends up doing the exact same thing as the father he hated so much, except unlike his dad he's not strong enough to pull it off, so he just dies like an idiot.
It's genuinely sad that he ends up doing the exact same thing as the father he hated so much, except unlike his dad he's not strong enough to pull it off, so he just dies like an idiot.
Whitebeard, whose one point of pride was never once taking a wound on his back from running away, ends up turning tail and fleeing from some random creepy retconned character, making a total spectacle of himself 😅
>>62
Honestly it was pretty shocking to learn the real reason he had zero scars on his back was just that he ran too fast to ever get hit.
Honestly it was pretty shocking to learn the real reason he had zero scars on his back was just that he ran too fast to ever get hit.
Luffy had been forcing his body to keep moving on Iva's hormone doping ever since the prison break —
why didn't they use that perfect piece of bait?
why didn't they use that perfect piece of bait?
>>74
Editor: "Let's have the doping backlash hit Luffy right here, and have Ace die protecting him."
Oda: "…" *lights up with inspiration*
Editor: "Let's have the doping backlash hit Luffy right here, and have Ace die protecting him."
Oda: "…" *lights up with inspiration*
But if you ask me what death would've actually been better, I honestly struggle to answer.
It pretty much had to be a tearjerker death right in front of Luffy.
It pretty much had to be a tearjerker death right in front of Luffy.
>>82
I mean, he just shouldn't have said "take it back" or whatever — that's all it would've taken…
I mean, he just shouldn't have said "take it back" or whatever — that's all it would've taken…
>>82
He could've just died protecting Luffy after Luffy collapsed from exhaustion following back-to-back fights.
He could've just died protecting Luffy after Luffy collapsed from exhaustion following back-to-back fights.
>>82
I think they just should've cut the part where he falls for the provocation.
I think they just should've cut the part where he falls for the provocation.
If you just look at Ace's background and bloodline, he's basically main-character tier.
Being the son of the Pirate King alone is already insane —
the adopted son of a Yonko,
the adopted grandson of a legendary Marine.
Why'd they kill him.
Being the son of the Pirate King alone is already insane —
the adopted son of a Yonko,
the adopted grandson of a legendary Marine.
Why'd they kill him.
>>90
Exactly because of that. He'd overshadow Luffy.
Just from that one fight trading blows with Smoker in Alabasta, he was already massively popular.
Exactly because of that. He'd overshadow Luffy.
Just from that one fight trading blows with Smoker in Alabasta, he was already massively popular.
>>90
Someone important to the protagonist dies → they fall into despair but manage to accept it thanks to encouragement from friends and allies → they grow as a person.
That's a pretty standard, tried-and-true story beat.
Someone important to the protagonist dies → they fall into despair but manage to accept it thanks to encouragement from friends and allies → they grow as a person.
That's a pretty standard, tried-and-true story beat.
>>90
Probably because if they'd kept him alive, Oda would've had no idea what to do with him.
Probably because if they'd kept him alive, Oda would've had no idea what to do with him.
Hmm, this guy's a loser lol
>>96
Akainu's whole rant was just too full of hard truths.
Akainu's whole rant was just too full of hard truths.
>>96
Thought "no wounds on his back" meant he'd crushed every enemy head-on — turned out it just meant he was really good at running away.
Thought "no wounds on his back" meant he'd crushed every enemy head-on — turned out it just meant he was really good at running away.
People sometimes get this wrong, but his actual combat ability was top-tier even among Yonko commanders.
Like you can see from the flashback arc, it's just that Roger's bad traits came out in him.
Like you can see from the flashback arc, it's just that Roger's bad traits came out in him.
>>102
The problem is people said he was "on the level of not even beating Smoker," and that's what's dragging his reputation down…
The problem is people said he was "on the level of not even beating Smoker," and that's what's dragging his reputation down…
So is Akainu basically top-tier strength even within the Navy?
>>105
Hard to say with how crazy the power inflation for villains has gotten lately.
He's top-tier as far as the Navy goes, but as an opponent for Luffy… eh, kind of underwhelming.
Hard to say with how crazy the power inflation for villains has gotten lately.
He's top-tier as far as the Navy goes, but as an opponent for Luffy… eh, kind of underwhelming.
>>105
Combat-wise he's definitely top-tier.
Mentally though, he's the weakest — bullies a coworker, gets yelled at, and grovels an apology.
Combat-wise he's definitely top-tier.
Mentally though, he's the weakest — bullies a coworker, gets yelled at, and grovels an apology.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Live/Anime Board) thread “[Sad News] Even Thinking About It Now, Fire Fist Ace’s Death Was Just Plain Dumb.”
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