Eiichiro Oda was worried these One Piece characters would overshadow Luffy

Luffy has always been the most popular pirate in One Piece, but initially, Eiichiro Oda was worried fans would love these supporting characters instead.

One Piece manga began in 1997 and since then, the cheerful and goofy main character Luffy has captured the hearts of almost every fan. Often times in Shonen, a side character ends up gaining more popularity.

This is what worried creator Eiichiro Oda in the beginning, as he thought Shanks or Zoro would overshadow Luffy. While the two are still among the most beloved heroes in the series, Luffy’s popularity knows no bounds.

In 1998, Oda shared in WSJ’s weekly author’s comments, “Those who participated in the ‘Character Popularity Vote’, thank you very much. I’m really happy that Luffy came in first. I was worried that Zoro or Shanks might overtake him.”

Oda loves Luffy so much that he was worried at the start of one piece that people might actually vote for Shanks or Zoro as fav instead, but to his relief, everyone ended up loving Luffy. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/6dh4p8301a

— Pookie Piece (@realpewpiece) October 11, 2024

His quote went viral after a popular One Piece leaker shared, “Oda loves Luffy so much that he was worried at the start of One Piece that people might actually vote for Shanks or Zoro as fav instead, but to his relief, everyone ended up loving Luffy.”

Luffy is one of the most beloved main characters in anime so fans are happy to see him win the popularity polls. According to the One Piece fandom website, ever since the franchise began, the main character has always taken first place in every official popularity poll.

One fan writes, “Luffy is the face of One Piece. Even people who don’t watch One Piece know Luffy. If Zoro or Shanks is the MC, then it wouldn’t work the way it was. My boy just built different.”

“Fun fact that I am aware everybody already knows: Luffy never goes out of number 1 in the popularity poll for more than 20 years. This is impressive. MAYBE he is the only Shonen Jump character to ever do it,” adds another.

One more fan adds, “Oda understands that if they don’t have Luffy as one of their faves, they don’t really love One Piece like that.”

The One Piece anime is going on a hiatus, so check out why it’s for a good reason. For more from the high seas, check out our guide on the Red Hair Pirates and our ranking of the strongest Straw Hats.