One Piece is dominating entertainment news lately. It stands as a popular and enduring manga series throughout history boasting a staggering 1,000 chapters and counting. Now, it is about to land its Netflix live-action adaptation whose narrative revolves around Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of a pirate crew. Its creator, Eiichiro Oda, has been vocal about his characters now and then. However, a 2009 statement is now on the highlight.

Amidst all the thrilling elements that captivate One Piece, fans can notice the absence of one element: romance. Although heavily requested by the fans, the creator once explained why he chose to keep it out of his manga.

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda does not think his manga is meant for romance but for boys

One Piece creator, Eiichiro Oda, shared his reasons for avoiding romantic elements. He explained that his focus was primarily on friendship and adventure as he believed these aspects aligned better with the shonen manga genre, which caters to male readers. Oda also expressed his concern about disappointing or not meeting the expectations of his manga’s considerably large female fans by introducing romantic relationships between the characters.

However, Oda made it clear that he didn’t hold an aversion towards romance. In fact, he admired manga artists who incorporated romantic subplots into their works. The mangaka even mentioned that he personally enjoyed reading romance manga and had no issue with fans who imagined their characters together.

He emphasized that he preferred leaving the interpretation of character relationships to the readers and took joy in witnessing how each individual enjoys and interprets his creation in their own way. Oda himself has found inspiration and interpretation from different animes and mangas as well.

Notably, Oda made his statements in 2009, and a lot has changed since then. The question remains: Will Netflix’s live adaptation stick to Oda’s tradition?

Will Netflix stray out of Oda’s way to include romance in its live-action adaptation of the series?

Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the manga series One Piece will consist of a gripping 10-episode series. The show will cover the first arc of the manga, where Monkey D. Luffy embarks on his quest to become the King of the Pirates. Along the way, he will encounter his crew members, namely Roronoa Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. It is fascinating to note that Eiichiro Oda himself is deeply involved in this project as a producer and has given it his wholehearted approval. 

Showrunner Steven Maeda and writer Matt Owens are also fans of the manga and have earned Oda’s trust. Moreover, Netflix has made a commitment to staying true, to the original story and characters while capturing the essence and vibe that makes One Piece so special. Therefore, explicit romance may or may not feature in this adaptation.

But this is Netflix, who is known for taking creative freedom to a certain extent. So it is a waiting game to watch if it will add romance to it.