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My whole point from my first point was addressing your issue with it taking "15 years".
I was telling you yes, it took that long because this is a manga, and that's how manga stories are told. Sometimes it will take years to bring in a core concept, because the writer will want to introduce it, when they feel it's the appropriate time. This is the time to introduce Nika, because that is part of the endgame.
I was telling you yes, it took that long because this is a manga, and that's how manga stories are told. Sometimes it will take years to bring in a core concept, because the writer will want to introduce it, when they feel it's the appropriate time. This is the time to introduce Nika, because that is part of the endgame.
Its ok if it takes time, but what matters is the end result.
Sorry to say, Wano arc was not great.
Usually, more time spent on a project = better quality. But this is not the case for Wano.
He could take another year to stretch out the fights or do sth else to make Luffy's awakening and Kaido/Big Mom's defeat believable.
Sorry to say, Wano arc was not great.
Usually, more time spent on a project = better quality. But this is not the case for Wano.
He could take another year to stretch out the fights or do sth else to make Luffy's awakening and Kaido/Big Mom's defeat believable.
I can agree with this POV. It does make sense.
However
Having already bloated the story way beyond its original scope, Oda should've done a better job at at least hinting at the true nature of Luffy's Devil Fruit.
And by that, I mainly mean from the WG's point of view and their 800 year quest to capture said fruit.
In a 1000+ chapter long story, getting a concept like that with virtually zero build up, tied closely to the MC and the main storyline feels cheap
However
Having already bloated the story way beyond its original scope, Oda should've done a better job at at least hinting at the true nature of Luffy's Devil Fruit.
And by that, I mainly mean from the WG's point of view and their 800 year quest to capture said fruit.
In a 1000+ chapter long story, getting a concept like that with virtually zero build up, tied closely to the MC and the main storyline feels cheap
In my opinion, both Oda and the readers made some mistakes regarding Gear Fifth.
First and foremost, the readers have been taking a wrong approach to it because of the whole "god" label. Most if not all users here have been probably raised in a culture more or less influenced by Abrahamic myths where deities are all mighty, but Nika has been portrayed like a tulpa-like entity, in my opinion; this also fits recent statements on devil fruit origin by Vegapunk. I think readers may have gotten defensive against "Sun God Nika" because they understand "god" as an extremely powerful entity by default and assume it diminishes the supposed weakness of the Gomu Gomu as a fruit, but for all we know Nika's divinity may have nothing to do with anything powerful. Personally, I don't see any significant difference between the Nika model and what I expected from the Gomu Gomu awakening. I'm not sure to what extent Oda sees the change as a sublimation of a previously average power instead of just a renaming to magnify the bigger picture of his story; proof is that he had already referred to the Gomu Gomu as a ridiculous power in an SBS, if I recall correctly.
It's also the readers's fault that they don't want One Piece to be how it's supposed to. Let's face it, manga and anime fans aren't usually the most mature and cultured out there and what's mainly popular among them, especially shonen fans, are edgier approaches; if you doubt it, try counting how many AMVs so far have used that Bring me to life song from Evanescence, it's crazy. One Piece does something quite unique as a piece of work which in my opinion sets it apart, and that's the focus on joy and laughter. Authors tend to seek depth in sorrow, suffering, darkness —but very few can craft their work around happiness, yet that's exactly what One Piece is: characters with distinctive laughs, a main character based on a kid who's the new Joy Boy, the Pirate King laughing at the most mysterious treasure and Laugh Tale as final destination. Not only that, but the core themes fit perfectly and the combination of laughter, joy, bouncing, freedom... It's an incredibly warming and funny reading once you get past the "edgy teenage" phase and it's pretty clear Oda wanted to take that feeling back, a feeling that was lost for quite a while in my perspective, with a cartoonish Gear that, funnily enough, remind us of the rubber hose style.
But I don't think Oda did it well enough. Part of why the readers reacted negatively to Gear Fifth and the Nika reveal was how superficially the author prepared the scenario. The name "Nika" wasn't a thing until Who's Who, Who's Who himself wasn't a thing until Onigashima (in spite of linking to CP9) and no serious doubt about the Gomu Gomu's true nature had been truly built in the reader. Connecting small things better (e.g. turning that unnamed CP9 agent during Ohara into young Who's Who), making a more explicit usage of the "nika" smirk (e.g. having important people using it in their significant moments; Oda vaguely did something similar since, for example, Roger smirks a "niya" during his execution, but that's not exactly "nika"); putting more focus on the importance of the Gomu Gomu (wasn't treated nor remarked as anything special until its awakening); stressing Kaidou as a failed Joy Boy who fell into depression (which is more or less what his character is about, but since Oda didn't work it enough many found out of place that Kaidou's fight turned into a "Having fun?" dynamic even though it made total sense); etc.
It's obvious Oda has some main themes more or less thought of; it's no coincidence that "don" (which people like Tom defended) sounds like "dawn" and is the sound drums make (e.g. during the Skypiea party), or how the sun is a symbol used by pretty much every oppresed people in this story, is directly related to freedom (Sun Pirates) and revered by the Shandians and Elbaf giants, or how the yet-to-be-explained quote by this Willie Gallon guy (which Oda put in a chapter with no apparent reason) totally sounds like Vegapunk's explanation on how devil fruit came to exist. Just too many of these themes perfectly fit the figure of Joyboy from real African folklore and it seems obvious Oda made some research on it to build the foundations of his work.
So, to summarize, could Gear Fifth plus Nika have been handled better? I think so. Is it a good idea still? I think so too.
First and foremost, the readers have been taking a wrong approach to it because of the whole "god" label. Most if not all users here have been probably raised in a culture more or less influenced by Abrahamic myths where deities are all mighty, but Nika has been portrayed like a tulpa-like entity, in my opinion; this also fits recent statements on devil fruit origin by Vegapunk. I think readers may have gotten defensive against "Sun God Nika" because they understand "god" as an extremely powerful entity by default and assume it diminishes the supposed weakness of the Gomu Gomu as a fruit, but for all we know Nika's divinity may have nothing to do with anything powerful. Personally, I don't see any significant difference between the Nika model and what I expected from the Gomu Gomu awakening. I'm not sure to what extent Oda sees the change as a sublimation of a previously average power instead of just a renaming to magnify the bigger picture of his story; proof is that he had already referred to the Gomu Gomu as a ridiculous power in an SBS, if I recall correctly.
It's also the readers's fault that they don't want One Piece to be how it's supposed to. Let's face it, manga and anime fans aren't usually the most mature and cultured out there and what's mainly popular among them, especially shonen fans, are edgier approaches; if you doubt it, try counting how many AMVs so far have used that Bring me to life song from Evanescence, it's crazy. One Piece does something quite unique as a piece of work which in my opinion sets it apart, and that's the focus on joy and laughter. Authors tend to seek depth in sorrow, suffering, darkness —but very few can craft their work around happiness, yet that's exactly what One Piece is: characters with distinctive laughs, a main character based on a kid who's the new Joy Boy, the Pirate King laughing at the most mysterious treasure and Laugh Tale as final destination. Not only that, but the core themes fit perfectly and the combination of laughter, joy, bouncing, freedom... It's an incredibly warming and funny reading once you get past the "edgy teenage" phase and it's pretty clear Oda wanted to take that feeling back, a feeling that was lost for quite a while in my perspective, with a cartoonish Gear that, funnily enough, remind us of the rubber hose style.
But I don't think Oda did it well enough. Part of why the readers reacted negatively to Gear Fifth and the Nika reveal was how superficially the author prepared the scenario. The name "Nika" wasn't a thing until Who's Who, Who's Who himself wasn't a thing until Onigashima (in spite of linking to CP9) and no serious doubt about the Gomu Gomu's true nature had been truly built in the reader. Connecting small things better (e.g. turning that unnamed CP9 agent during Ohara into young Who's Who), making a more explicit usage of the "nika" smirk (e.g. having important people using it in their significant moments; Oda vaguely did something similar since, for example, Roger smirks a "niya" during his execution, but that's not exactly "nika"); putting more focus on the importance of the Gomu Gomu (wasn't treated nor remarked as anything special until its awakening); stressing Kaidou as a failed Joy Boy who fell into depression (which is more or less what his character is about, but since Oda didn't work it enough many found out of place that Kaidou's fight turned into a "Having fun?" dynamic even though it made total sense); etc.
It's obvious Oda has some main themes more or less thought of; it's no coincidence that "don" (which people like Tom defended) sounds like "dawn" and is the sound drums make (e.g. during the Skypiea party), or how the sun is a symbol used by pretty much every oppresed people in this story, is directly related to freedom (Sun Pirates) and revered by the Shandians and Elbaf giants, or how the yet-to-be-explained quote by this Willie Gallon guy (which Oda put in a chapter with no apparent reason) totally sounds like Vegapunk's explanation on how devil fruit came to exist. Just too many of these themes perfectly fit the figure of Joyboy from real African folklore and it seems obvious Oda made some research on it to build the foundations of his work.
So, to summarize, could Gear Fifth plus Nika have been handled better? I think so. Is it a good idea still? I think so too.
Leave to One Piece fanboys giving excuses to a 1000+ chapter manga saying "it needs time, so set up is necessary". As if 25 years isn't enough time. One Piece is literally 90% set up. Oda doesn't know how to write anything outside of set up. Compare it to any other manga e.g Kingdom. Kingdom already concluded a major subplot in 5 chapters, whereas in One Piece we have been waiting in Egghead for 30 chapters now.
Not quite. There's an overarching theme for the series as a whole, and themes pertaining to each individual arc. The core theme of One Piece as a whole is freedom, and we see Luffy free town after town from oppressors, with the biggest one soon to be the World Government. Wano's themes are about loyalty and legacy for example.