The Death of Ace: One Piece‘s Tragic Mistake

As an avid One Piece fan and content creator, I am confident declaring the death of Ace as Eiichro Oda‘s biggest narrative mistake. The tragic loss of Luffy‘s sworn brother and one of the series‘ most beloved characters has left a permanent scar on the overarching story and fanbase.

The Bond Between Sworn Brothers

To fully grasp why Ace‘s death resonates as such a monumental misstep, one must understand the profound bond he shared with Luffy. From a young age, an unbreakable connection rooted in brotherhood was forged. Their commitment to each other was further cemented when Ace ultimately sacrificed himself to protect Luffy from Admiral Akainu‘s lethal blow. This act of selfless love proved that their sibling link transcended blood relation.

One Piece is filled with flashbacks emphasizing the strength of their relationship – from mutually exchanging sake cups as children to achieving their dreams together aboard the Striker out at sea. These moments showcase young Ace supporting, protecting, and inspiring Luffy every step of the way on his quest to become King of the Pirates.

Even after death, Ace has remained one of the most integral figures in Luffy‘s origin story. To permanently sever this deeply emotional bond solely for shock value damages the foundation on which our protagonist is built. The reverberations of this misstep will continue to be felt as new fans discover One Piece and form attachments to Ace through early episode flashbacks, only to see him ripped away.

Shocking a Fanbase to its Core

Message boards and online communities erupted with grief, outrage, and dismay following episode 483 which depicted Ace‘s death. Having steadily built Ace up as a fan-favorite character over a decade, viewers were distraught to lose another member of the dwindling list of Luffy‘s admired elder role models.

The emotional agony was unlike anything the fanbase had experienced before. This intense response underscores what a grievous narrative mistake had been made in failing to preserve such an iconic, beloved character.

In the years since, Ace has consistently ranked among the most popular One Piece personages in fan polls and listings. His character routinely places alongside mainstays like Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Sanji as the most celebrated and cherished despite his premature demise. If Ace elicited this degree of passion and admiration from readers while alive, callously discarding him damaged the very relationship between creator and audience that had cultivated this devotion.

While always respectful regarding Oda‘s vision, I must firmly conclude the permanent destruction of Ace to have been a monumental creative misstep and my primary issue with One Piece‘s acclaimed narrative.

Heightening Tension or Numbed Expectations

Another key consideration regarding Ace‘s death is how fake-out demises being overused in One Piece diluted the gravitas of permanent fatalities. When Pound was revived following a lethal shooting in Whole Cake Island, how could viewers not feel tentatively skeptical seeing Ace fall as well?

Repeatedly avoiding killing named characters has numbed audiences to expect eventual cop-outs. Therefore when Oda finally let death stand, it carried less emotional weight and believability based on conditioned responses.

Rather than heighten tension through previous fake-out cop-outs, this reliance has diminished persistent life-or-death stakes. While Ace‘s demise sent shockwaves initially, the full impact was hampered by an populace assuming Oda would invoke yet another revival.

These fleeting brushes with death stand in direct contrast to impactful permanent losses in other landmark Shonen series. From Jiraya in Naruto to Netero in Hunter x Hunter, iconic mentors have met their fates. This heightens viewer tension knowing no one else is truly safe.

Meanwhile, One Piece handicaps itself by gradually numbing readers to this constant cycle of apparent lethal scenarios that ultimately get undercut. What could have protected Ace‘s death from disbelief was permanently killing other substantial characters earlier in the series to establish sincere stakes. However, Oda‘s hesitation to incorporate genuine fatalities diminished Ace‘s death as merely the "boy who cried wolf" scenario finally coming true.

Preserving Ace In a Different Capacity

While Luffy required substantial motivation to grow stronger following the timeskip, Oda certainly did not need to rely solely on Ace‘s death to stimulate this hunger. Other creative avenues of spurring Luffy‘s drive existed that would not have required losing Ace permanently as a character.

For example, Ace could have sustained mortal wounds at Marineford that removed him from active piracy without killing him outright. Lingering in a coma or otherwise bedridden could have logically achieved the same narrative goal of jumpstarting Luffy‘s progression. Such a devastating sight of his indomitable brother stripped of freedom and autonomy could profoundly affect Luffy just the same.

This approach allows Ace to reemerge later in the story once Luffy reaches levels capable of protecting him. Their emotional reunion and Ace‘s visible awe at Luffy‘s growth could inspire beautifully cathartic scenes. We could also learn intriguing details of events Ace witnessed while comatose, adding hidden lore.

Ultimately the permanent end of a treasured crew member who carried his arc proudly from start to sacrificial end should have earned preservation. Even if disabled indefinitely, Ace persisting as Luffy‘s creative muse for growth could have allowed Oda to eat his cake and have it too on delivering emotional turmoil.

Regrettably, Oda erred too far on ruthlessness over mercy, robbing One Piece of a fixture far too soon when ample narrative alternatives existed.

Additional Notable Mistakes

While Ace‘s premature demise marks the pinnacle of One Piece‘s errors, Oda has misstepped elsewhere in managing this sprawling epic. Namely, prolonged pacing issues have severely damaged engagement with certain arcs.

The most glaring example is Dressrosa, which spanned a staggering 102 chapters and over 100 episodes. Critics agree the arc suffered from an overabundance of characters/plot threads resulting in frustrating pacing issues and tedious stretch of screen time for minimal payoff.

Comparatively, the universally acclaimed Water 7/Enies Lobby run contained only 53 chapters and roughly 60 episodes. This more economic delivery allowed greater consistency keeping readers immersed.

Fan ratings and volume sales data confirms Dressrosa‘s glacial speed correlated with a noticeable dip in enthusiasm. Oda himself has acknowledged difficulty balancing the ever-growing web of players and narratives. Trimming extraneous players and subplots that distracted from core emotional beats could have spared Dressrosa from pacing fatigue.

While challenging to outline, Oda must streamline future arcs by spotlighting essential characters vital for forwarding the endgame. If supporting players do not organically service these core relationship dynamics or advance the final conflict, they inevitably bog down engagement as Dressrosa displayed in spades.

Conclusion

Eiichiro Oda stands tall as a brilliant, innovative mangaka who has captivated millions with his masterful worldbuilding. However, I firmly reaffirm my position as an ardent fan that eliminating Monkey D. Ace was a grave creative misstep that has irreparably damaged One Piece. While Luffy required the motivational catalyst of loss, alternative pathways to stimulating his timeskip training existed that would not have required losing Ace forever. His premature demise will forever mark the story‘s most tragic, unnecessary mistake.