Kind of recent yeah, it's mostly because I think he's the most consistently written and one of the most relatable characters for me.
Not to say he doesn't still have issues (things like him using the Raid Suit to sneak into showers), but I think he's written well enough for that to be excused. Plus the pervert gags haven't happened that much recently.
Although I constantly debate putting Franky equal to him, but I give Sanji an edge as he sadly gets more attention from Oda than most other SHs anyway
I’ve always said that I feel blessed to be a Sanji fan since there’s so much to love about his character
It bothers me to the umpteenth degree that Oda just
had to give him the most debilitating character flaw in shonen history
But the fact that a character like Sanji can consistently rank in the top 3-4 despite that glaring flaw is a testament to how well he’s written imo. Like say what you will about his gag but Oda especially in the latter half of the timeskip has yet to skimp out on anything regarding Sanji
I mean in an arc that he had no business being relevant in (Wano) he spent tons of chapters building up Sanji’s internal conflict, setting up the drama with Osome, and then having it all come to a head with the conclusion of the Queen fight and the formation of Ifrit Jambe. Then to tie it all up with Sanji safely returning the rat to Osome… (a beautiful callback to his childhood with Germa)
And that’s without me going into WCI itself and it’s nearly unparalleled conclusion
Mannnnn I know some people drag this narrative but they really aren’t lying when they say a lot of the timeskip has been Sanji Piece