General & Others How much better would One Piece be without fake deaths?
- Thread starter pg13
- Start date
One Piece for me is about a 7.8/10 now if I remove the fake deaths the story becomes a 9.5/10 (by shonen standards)
Death dramatically improves this story for me, but I know some people may feel different . I’m not saying Oda has to kill characters left and right but don’t put so much damn effort into the fake death moments.
leave your thoughts…..
Death dramatically improves this story for me, but I know some people may feel different . I’m not saying Oda has to kill characters left and right but don’t put so much damn effort into the fake death moments.
leave your thoughts…..
The answer is no. In reality, I'm still crying because Pell is taking the bomb, I'm still crying for Pound, I'm still crying for Sabo, I'm still crying for Kinemon or for others...
You know why ?
Because death is NOT the reason why you feel things in a story
The emotional impact of stories does not come from deaths, it comes from EMPATHY
When Pell is taking the bomb, we cry because Vivi is crying and feeling despair. When Pound is being slashed, we cry because we understand his situation and the fact that he can't reach his daughter. When Sabo dies, we cry because we feel sad for Luffy and Ace.
Those things, do NOT disappear. And no matter how many times you will rewatch those moments, you will still cry.
So bringing back character in those circounstance absolutely do NOT impact the story in any way. Actually, they enhance it. Because they give us back hope that we lost and potentially give us more moment of reunion.
For example, Luffy meeting Sabo in Dressrosa is iconic BECAUSE Sabo was presumed dead. Pound reunite with his daughter his beautiful BECAUSE we passed through trauma with him. Etc.
But even better, bringing back character keeps us on our toes and keeps us even more in denial when a character really dies. When Pedro dies, its traumatizing because we know that this is real. When Ace dies, its traumatizing because we know that it is real. Fake death are here to trick you into thinking that death in One Piece does not really happen, to strip you from your sences when it really does.
Fake death would only be problematic if it was negating the storyline. In other word, if Pedro lived, it would negate the scene between Sanji and Carrot and if Ace lived, it would negate the entire reason for Luffy to become stronger. But that never happens in One Piece, when a character is brought back, it does not negate anything, it only improves the narrative.
That's why fake death in One Piece are always bonuses and that taking them out would be detrimental to the story.
