General & Others Is it Crazy to say The Writing for Sanji is Better Post Timeskip?
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Time doesn't heal a character wound when the narrative framing never changed. Sanji's gag might not be as frequent now, but the consequences of those 600+ chapters of humiliation stuck. The fandom's collective memory isn't a goldfish. More importantly, the Wano power-up (2022) was recent, and it was framed as self-hatred, not triumph. He cried and begged to be turned back to normal. That isn't a "decade-old gag". that is a modern character assassination disguised as a power-up. So no, the issues didn't stop; they just evolved from slapstick to existential dread.
Author statements outside the manga volumes (story + SBS) don't override 1,000 chapters of contradictory feats. Zoro has Advanced Conqueror's Haki, the literal endgame power that only the top tiers have. Sanji has an exoskeleton and regeneration, defensive tools. Oda can say they are equals all he wants, but the manga shows Zoro scarring Kaido and Sanji struggling with Queen. If Oda truly wanted them equal, he would have given Sanji ACoC or a sky-splitting moment. He didn't. He gave him a raid suit and a mental breakdown. Feats > Quotes. Also, Egghead and Elbaf haven't pitted them against the same caliber of enemy, so "feeling relative" is just headcanon until they share a panel against the same top tier opponent.
The complaint isn't that Sanji lacks Haki; it's the disparity in training and narrative weight. Luffy got Rayleigh. Zoro got Mihawk. Sanji got chased by drag queens on an Okama island and had to invent Sky Walk just to escape. Oda deliberately gave him no combat mentor. And saying "only 4 out of 10 have Haki" is a low bar, Sanji is supposed to be the wings of the Pirate King, not just "better than Brook and Chopper." Being in the top 4 isn't impressive when the gap between Zoro and Sanji is wider than the gap between Sanji and Jinbe.
My issue with Sanji isn't that he's weak. My issue is that Oda spends 20+ years writing Zoro's struggles as heroic sacrifices, and writes Sanji's struggles as pathetic failures, gags, or self-loathing. A power-up in Wano and a quote in 2025 don't erase that narrative bias. It just proves Oda knows he messed up and is trying to do damage control, but damage control isn't the same as good writing.
Author statements outside the manga volumes (story + SBS) don't override 1,000 chapters of contradictory feats. Zoro has Advanced Conqueror's Haki, the literal endgame power that only the top tiers have. Sanji has an exoskeleton and regeneration, defensive tools. Oda can say they are equals all he wants, but the manga shows Zoro scarring Kaido and Sanji struggling with Queen. If Oda truly wanted them equal, he would have given Sanji ACoC or a sky-splitting moment. He didn't. He gave him a raid suit and a mental breakdown. Feats > Quotes. Also, Egghead and Elbaf haven't pitted them against the same caliber of enemy, so "feeling relative" is just headcanon until they share a panel against the same top tier opponent.
The complaint isn't that Sanji lacks Haki; it's the disparity in training and narrative weight. Luffy got Rayleigh. Zoro got Mihawk. Sanji got chased by drag queens on an Okama island and had to invent Sky Walk just to escape. Oda deliberately gave him no combat mentor. And saying "only 4 out of 10 have Haki" is a low bar, Sanji is supposed to be the wings of the Pirate King, not just "better than Brook and Chopper." Being in the top 4 isn't impressive when the gap between Zoro and Sanji is wider than the gap between Sanji and Jinbe.
My issue with Sanji isn't that he's weak. My issue is that Oda spends 20+ years writing Zoro's struggles as heroic sacrifices, and writes Sanji's struggles as pathetic failures, gags, or self-loathing. A power-up in Wano and a quote in 2025 don't erase that narrative bias. It just proves Oda knows he messed up and is trying to do damage control, but damage control isn't the same as good writing.
It seems all your compalints boil down to "I hate the character, so I will twist everything about this character as bad terrible writting."
Self loathing is a character trait Sanji needs to overcome now. Not every character needs to be a plank of wood like Zoro, they can weaknesses and vulnerabilities and still be good characters. That's why I like Sanji as a character, I view Zoro as just a plot device to take our enemy's second strongest. There is a reason Zoro fans desperately want Sanji to be far weaker, cause thats all Zoro has.
Self loathing is a character trait Sanji needs to overcome now. Not every character needs to be a plank of wood like Zoro, they can weaknesses and vulnerabilities and still be good characters. That's why I like Sanji as a character, I view Zoro as just a plot device to take our enemy's second strongest. There is a reason Zoro fans desperately want Sanji to be far weaker, cause thats all Zoro has.
Still ain't a likeable character to me.
Only if he was half of what Gaban is,
Only if he was half of what Gaban is,
- Oda doesn't do creepy stuff with Gaban.
- Consequences of hid action, having the nerve to say it., Just like how Zoro reacted back in punk hazard when Luffy lost to caeser. Consequences being his friends can be killed if he doesn't act right.
- Even Jimbei is above Sanji for me in that regards, He point his frustration in good angle after Marineford in Amazon lily.
I think you are purposefully ignoring my point. Oda uses Sanji to tell a story, the only use Zoro has is to take out second in command. If you both Zoro and King from wano, nothing changes. Same can be said to Sanji, but he has some emotional beats with Robin.
Edit: Also has emotional conflict on what he wants to be in the future. You Can hate him all you want, but the story hasn't ended, there is always more time to payoff. Payoffs don't need to happen the very next chapter.
Edit: Also has emotional conflict on what he wants to be in the future. You Can hate him all you want, but the story hasn't ended, there is always more time to payoff. Payoffs don't need to happen the very next chapter.
This is a constant in every arc since WCI
Even in Egghead, a arc not focused on the Strawhats, he is the only one that reminsence about Vegapunk's death, for example
But I guess 10 years is a good windup to realize with the literacy level of this forum
Even in Egghead, a arc not focused on the Strawhats, he is the only one that reminsence about Vegapunk's death, for example
But I guess 10 years is a good windup to realize with the literacy level of this forum
bro really got ass mad at my month old post because i was right and he seething about sanji again 
you like that oda showing sanji piece into your mouth and brain all of elbaf?
Remember calling everyone retarded that sanji will get coc?
Guess who was one again
you like that oda showing sanji piece into your mouth and brain all of elbaf?
Remember calling everyone retarded that sanji will get coc?
Guess who was one again
great lore.
yeah cause it was retarded, an asspull powercreep doesnt make lanji better it actually makes his character worse, lanji was a beast and a personal fave until all the powercreeps and going against his own words and meanings
I disagree, pre-ts zoro was actually better written.
Sanji is a pretty static character pre-ts and (obviously by design, as we now know) oda doesnt let us peer too much into his inner workings.
Meanwhile zoro begins his character arc by saying he will kill luffy, challanges his captain position etc. just to end up then in TB to give his up his ambition and life for luffy
However post-ts, which now in 3 chapter or so will overtake pre-ts its not even a competition
Luffy and Sanji are so ahead of the effort and character writing oda puts into them versus other strawhats its not even worth entertaining a discussion. Like even in "usopps arc" elbaf its Luffy and Sanji who really getting challagend on their positions while Zoro basiacly gets a extended gag sequence
mad because wrong again
Sanji piece till the manga ends, every single week, better drop the manga
😂🫵
Sanji is a pretty static character pre-ts and (obviously by design, as we now know) oda doesnt let us peer too much into his inner workings.
Meanwhile zoro begins his character arc by saying he will kill luffy, challanges his captain position etc. just to end up then in TB to give his up his ambition and life for luffy
However post-ts, which now in 3 chapter or so will overtake pre-ts its not even a competition
Luffy and Sanji are so ahead of the effort and character writing oda puts into them versus other strawhats its not even worth entertaining a discussion. Like even in "usopps arc" elbaf its Luffy and Sanji who really getting challagend on their positions while Zoro basiacly gets a extended gag sequence
mad because wrong again
Sanji piece till the manga ends, every single week, better drop the manga
😂🫵
There's no such thing as a finished character, and character development isn't always about changing the character. Often it's about revealing more about them, whether it's by peeling back the layers, adding new layers through insight and response to narrative stimuli.
Change, revelation, understanding - these are all goals for character development, and they are not mutually exclusive.
And sometimes the change sought is not in what the character is or does, but how they're perceived by the audience.
Luffy is a very good example of this, but so are Dragon, Garp, Blackbeard and Shanks among others. Nothing new we've learned alters what was, only how we perceive.
Change, revelation, understanding - these are all goals for character development, and they are not mutually exclusive.
And sometimes the change sought is not in what the character is or does, but how they're perceived by the audience.
Luffy is a very good example of this, but so are Dragon, Garp, Blackbeard and Shanks among others. Nothing new we've learned alters what was, only how we perceive.