With each passing day, Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus, One Piece, is reaching new heights. The anime series has been airing since 1999 and has earned widespread recognition not only in Japan but also all over the globe. One of the key reasons that the series has been so well-received by the fans is that Oda-Sensei has presented a hilarious and an adorable protagonist in the form of Monkey D. Luffy.
However, the mangaka has masterfully showcased Roronoa Zoro as the formidable second protagonist in the series. Well, that’s what the fans of the Shonen series have been thinking for so long, believing that it was his unwavering determination to be the world’s greatest swordsman that made him a secondary main character.
However, all the delusions of the fans have been cleared, as Oda-Sensei has commented on who he had initially thought to be the secondary protagonist in the series.
Eiichiro Oda Explains How He Had Planned Another Protagonist in One Piece
Eiichiro Oda has brilliantly showcased an indomitable duo in his masterpiece, One Piece, using the 5th Emperor of the Sea, and The Pirate Hunter. From their very first meeting in the 3rd episode of the anime, they forged a bond that defeated foes who would seem to be invincible.
While the two joke around with each other, they deeply respect each other’s dreams, and it is the unspoken admiration of each other that leads to the notoriety of the success of the Straw Hat Pirates. As the series developed, Oda-Sensei deepened their connection by showcasing their backstories.
While one wanted to be the Pirate King, another aspired to be the world’s greatest swordsman. By fueling each other’s aspirations, they became a monster duo. As a result, in the long run of the show, fans believed that the Senior Officer of The Straw Hat Pirates would be the second protagonist.
However, all clouds of uncertainty were cleared by Eiichiro Oda himself, as Pew (@pewpiece) shared on X, where the manga artist explained that before the series even began, he wanted Shimotsuki Ryuma to be the “#2.” Oda-Sensei said,
Around this time (before OnePiece), I was proud of having already imagined a character like Luffy as the main character. Next, I thought I would like to make a supporting character into a main character. I believed that if we had two main characters, we would be able to secure a serialization spot. Ryuma is that character, created with the aim of being the “#2” main character.
Ardent fans of One Piece would remember that Shimotsuki Ryuma was once a legendary samurai who made his debut during the Thriller Bark Arc. Viewers learned that he used to live during Wano’s Country of Gold era, which happened to be centuries ago.
Moreover, as the story continued, he was the direct descendant of Zoro, which explains how he got the flair for his unmatched swordsman skills.
Fans React to Eiichiro Oda’s Surprising Revelation
For ages, fans of the Shonen series believed the determined warrior and the Future Pirate King’s first recruit would be the second recruit but that was never the case. The manga artist amplified Moss Head’s screentime and gave him a much deeper and more complex character development than anyone else in the entire series, along with jaw-dropping fight scenes in the show.
Hence, it might have led many viewers of the show to believe that Zoro would be the other leading character. However, when fans learned that was not the case, they dropped their opinion on the post.
Ryuma was almost a fodder in thriller bark 😭😭😭 Oda my man pic.twitter.com/IFEb8EW36L
— RJupiter👑♣️ (@rjupiter7) July 9, 2024
We always said , if zoro was the main character. OnePiece would still be this much successfull
— سید حسن♡ (@friendlesshun__) July 9, 2024
Wait what does this mean for Ryuma in the future?
— ❂ 𝙇𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙮 ⼺ (@ihyluffy) July 9, 2024
My hero 💚 pic.twitter.com/RiW8P185rH
— 0diffrent (@0diffrent) July 9, 2024
I think oda doesn’t know how to balance luffy and zoro. I could be wrong though, my opinion may be wrong cuz I am a Zoro fan. But he focused so much on luffy and limits the Zoro development. He literally didn’t get any character development even in wano which is his arc.
— Mamsis (@Mamsis_H) July 9, 2024
Ryuma is dead so that means Zoro was made instead of Ryuma. Less go. Oda you genius for making Zoro the 2nd main character.
— Rowx ⚓ (@chasedace_) July 9, 2024
With Shimotsuki Ryuma long dead and Roronoa Zoro being his direct descendant, who knows that maybe in the near future, Oda-Sensei might just showcase the swordsman as the protagonist in a series of his own?
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
