While the female characters in One Piece are great in many aspects, there are still some problems with how Eiichiro Oda created them for the story.

SUMMARY

Eiichiro Oda has been one of the very few manga creators who have been praised for his female characters.
However, there is one allegation about the female characters of One Piece that Oda cannot beat.
This allegation points out that most of the female characters look exactly like Nami and Robin.

The portrayal of female characters is one of the most contentious topics in the anime and manga industry. And the one manga creator who has been constantly under the radar for the portrayal of female characters in his manga is Eiichiro Oda. Oda’s One Piece has a fair share of female characters, and they are known for their individual plots and narrative significance.

The most significant female characters of One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

From Nico Robin to Boa Hancock, almost every female character has held some sort of importance within the One Piece storyline. And while there have been some fan service elements, Oda has made sure that they don’t affect their character development. Thus, in a way, his female characters are much better compared to other anime and manga series.

However, the one complaint that fans have had with One Piece and Oda is that the main female characters within the narrative look exactly alike. In fact, there have been speculations that Oda has based almost every other female character on Nami and Robin in One Piece. Not only that, it has also been assumed that he does not give much focus while drawing these characters.

The assumptions about the female characters in One Piece

Since the beginning of One Piece, the female characters have held a special importance within the storyline. They contribute almost equally to the male characters and have decent character development that is not overshadowed or confined under the male characters. Also, their character development within the story is eventually linked with the central narrative in One Piece.

This is why Eiichiro Oda is one of the very few manga creators who is not heavily criticized for overs*xualizing his female characters or using them for fan service. He has been quite vocal about their importance in the story and doesn’t differentiate between them and the male characters of the series.

Nami and Robin in One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

However, the only assumption about the female characters of One Piece is that most of the major female characters look like exact replicas of either Nami or Robin. While an argument can be made about the wide variety of differently looking female characters in One Piece, the characters who hold importance to the storyline are all alike.

Eiichiro Oda cannot beat these allegations

There has been literal proof where One Piece fans have pointed out the physical and facial similarities between the female characters of the series. From Vivi and Rebecca to Shirahoshi and Pudding, all of the female characters draw parallels with Nami in terms of structure.

Vivi and Rebecca look exactly like Nami | Credit: Toei Animation

Not only that but characters like Hiyori and Boa Hancock have been linked with Nico Robin in One Piece.

This proves that while Oda is excellent in creating a backstory and character development for female characters, he could not differentiate in terms of physical and facial structures. This becomes even more difficult in the manga where the panels are not colored.

Thus, Oda needs to focus a little bit more on the drawings of the female characters moving forward. He really needs to create the upcoming female characters in a different manner to provide a distinction between them as One Piece moves forward with the final saga.

One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.