Being at the top of any art form comes with a cost of controversy and hate from people who differ in terms of ideologies and mindsets. This has been experienced by Eiichiro Oda for quite some time. Oda has been at the top of the game for almost thirty years, and he has had to experience a lot of contention because of his success.
One such controversy that became a big thing when One Piece was at its prime was the Jolly Roger of the famous Whitebeard Pirates. The original symbol of the Whitebeard Pirates, which was used in the manga, sparked a lot of debate, which is why it never made it to the One Piece anime series. However, it was not enough.
In 2006, Oda revealed that he was forced by his editors to stop using the original Whitebeard Jolly Roger and change it as soon as possible to avoid controversies. As the One Piece creator’s comment came to light recently, fans stepped forward to support the manga creator and explain his real intention behind using the flag.
The Whitebeard Jolly Roger Controversy
The Whitebeard Pirates in One Piece were one of the strongest Yonko crews in the series, and there was hardly any other character who would try to mess with Whitebeard and his ‘family.’ Their Jolly Roger sparked fear in the hearts of their enemies, but this Jolly Roger proved to be a big problem for the One Piece mangaka.
Popular One Piece fan account @pewpiece recently reported on X that Oda once explained that he was asked by the authorities to change the Whitebeard pirate flag permanently in the manga as it had already been rejected in the anime series.
I was recently told by the company that the Whitebeard pirate flag, which got rejected in anime, should not be used in manga as well.
The original Whitebeard Jolly Roger featured an inverted Swastika, which is also called a manji, which was used as a connotation for Buddhist temples in Japan and promoted peace.
However, in the West, the symbol of the swastika denoted evil and cruelty, as it was adopted by the Nazis, who waged war on it and caused disruptions all over the world.
One Piece Fans Stand With Eiichiro Oda
Eiichiro Oda’s intentions since the beginning have been to promote happiness and freedom through his manga series. After every arc, the mangaka makes sure to include a message that would promote virtue and nobility, thus making One Piece one of the best anime and manga series out there.
Therefore, whenever Oda gets caught in such kinds of controversies, fans are always present to support their favorite mangaka no matter what.
Thus, when @pewpiece shared the tweet about Oda’s comment in 2006, fans defended Oda and explained what he really wanted to symbolize when he first created Whitebeard’s Jolly Roger.
A great symbol of peace got ruined by a single man
— luv(sic)💔 (@808sAndHrtbreak) July 17, 2024
It probably didn't mean what most ppl thought it meant.
That symbol is older then the nazis
— coopdejoure (@coopdejoure) July 17, 2024
orijinal went hard, stood out way more compared to other flags
shame the symbol had to be ruined by bad rep
— TheLeakerBot (@theleakerbot) July 17, 2024
It's sad that this is required because most people don't understand the difference in the symbols, but it was the correct move.
— Sean McClain (@Mcclainseanm) July 17, 2024
As much as I wish they left it alone, it would have been exhausting to explain it to every generation that picks up One Piece.
— Ⓥ Joyboy the Soyboy 🇵🇸 Soy God Nika (@STOPHEATHERTIME) July 17, 2024
Although the change of Whitebeard’s flag was forced on Oda, it ultimately was the right move as One Piece has been recognized worldwide and this symbol could have created a big controversy for the mangaka and the series as a whole.
You can watch One Piece on Crunchyroll.
