Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and the newest appointed Emperor of the Sea in One Piece, is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters in the story. Being the protagonist, he is bound to get stronger and stronger to defeat the many antagonists he has faced and will face in the future.
Also, his being the antagonist means that in conclusion, he might have to be the strongest character to achieve his goal of becoming the King of the Pirates. However, at the pace he is going on conquering battles one after the other, Eiichiro Oda might have to finish the series sooner than expected.
This is why, Oda once stated that Luffy has become so incredibly strong in such a short amount of time that he has to nerf the character to the point that it prolongs the story which is a big complaint for One Piece fans. After Oda’s statement, these prolonged aspects in the story become quite visible.
Eiichiro Oda Nerfs Monkey D. Luffy
According to @sandman_AP, Oda once stated in 2012 that the main character of his magnum opus, Luffy, bothers him the most. He explained how he was growing at a much faster pace than he expected, and because of this, the story becomes much faster and loses its touch, which is why he has to nerf the character.
He stated:
“Luffy bothers me the most. I have to put brakes on him with obstacles, or he’ll soon defeat the villain. My characters act as if they have a will of their own. When I forced them to move for the sake of the story, my audience complained.”
According to Eiichiro Oda, he forcefully has to add new obstacles in Luffy’s path so that he can be slowed down and match him with the pace of the story. He also explained that his characters have developed the will of their own, and when he forces them to slow down, it prolongs the story, which is one of the biggest complaints of One Piece fans.
Times When Eiichiro Oda Had To Slow Luffy Down
Oda san has been nerfing Luffy for a long time. In fact, these instances can be traced back to before the time skip. During the Alabasta saga, when it was revealed that Crocodile was the final antagonist, and Luffy fought him, he was defeated by the Shichibukai twice before he was finally able to beat him with the simplest trick.
Another instance was when Luffy fought Katakuri on the whole Cake Island arc. Their fight went on for almost 21 episodes, and finally, Luffy was able to defeat Katakuri with Gear 4 Snakeman, which he already knew how to use. The plotline was stretched for so many episodes because Oda wanted Luffy to learn from his battle and grow.
A recent example of this was seen when Luffy fought Kaido, the chief of the Beast Pirates, and the strongest creature in the world. Luffy fought Kaido three times before finally being able to win against him with Gear 5. Within that period, not only did Luffy have a meal, but he also awakened his strongest power.
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