One Piece is a worldwide hit on Netflix and, as a result, many viewers are getting to know Monkey D. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates for the first time. Of course, the franchise has been around since the late ’90s and has established a lot of different facets to these characters that are now becoming more mainstream. On that note, fans who love shipping should be warned when it comes to relationships between crew mates, as the franchise’s creator gave them a “hard no” when discussions surrounding the live-action adaptation occurred. While some may feel a certain way about this, I’m 100% on board with the decision.
As new fans fall in love with the cast of One Piece, they may be watching to see if any romantic sparks fly between the characters. Shipping is a natural practice when it comes to certain TV series. Yet co-showrunner Steven Maeda explained to TVLine that that isn’t going to happen, as he recalled a note from Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the manga:
One of the mandates from [manga creator] Eiichiro Oda was against romance on the crew. That is a hard no, as far as the manga and the live-action show are concerned.
So it seems that anyone with a Netflix subscription who may have been wondering which crew member Nami might end up with should stop speculating. Based on the comments, it sounds like Eiichiro Oda has not softened his stance on romance happening within the Straw Hat crew. That fact has famously frustrated fans of the manga and anime for some time. In recent years, there was hope that Oda might’ve changed his tune, but alas, that’s not the case.
The writer explained in a 2009 article that he ultimately didn’t believe One Piece was a romantic story, which is why love was never a focus (via Reddit). Steven Maeda went on to say that if any viewers thought they felt any romantic tension between characters in the show, it was not intentional:
It was because they just had great chemistry together. But that certainly was not the intent. One of the fun things about watching television is what you read into it and what you bring to the table when you’re watching a show.
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It’s understandable why some viewers may take issue with One Piece sidestepping romance, but I prefer it. I’m reminded of how Kate Mulgrew advocated against Janeway having a relationship with any member on the bridge in Star Trek: Voyager, as she feared it would weaken the character being taken seriously (via Screen Rant). The absence of romantic entanglements means each member of the Straw Hats crew can solely entertain audiences mainly with their skills and what they bring to the crew. In doing so, they’d wouldn’t keep them invested by way of a will they/won’t they storyline that could take away from the main stories being told.
And while One Piece may not be a show about romance, it doesn’t mean characters don’t pine over each other. In the anime, Sanji is obsessed with Nami, but he’s also known to try and woo just about any woman he comes in contact with. It’s admittedly kind of a downer to think he’ll probably be chasing Nami (who’s had some serious character growth) indefinitely. But hey, I ultimately stand with the live-action series honoring the wishes of Eiichiro Oda and staying true to the massive world he’s helped create.
One Piece Season 1 is available to stream in full on Netflix. Many seasons of the anime are also available to check out for those needing something to do while we wait for word on Season 2. We’ll have to see if news on that front comes following the (eventual) conclusions of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA writers’ strikes.