“I’ll make them cry too!”: You Can Blame Hayao Miyazaki for Influencing Eiichiro Oda to Adopt a One Piece Rule That Has Been its Biggest Criticism
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece stands as a heavyweight in the manga world for its vast world-building, engaging characters, and well-crafted storyline. However, one of Oda’s storytelling tendencies draws huge criticism even from the fans: his reluctance to kill off the characters. But, many might not know that this tendency stems from a major influence in his early creative work — the legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s creation.
Nausicaä and Teto | Credit: Studio Ghibli
Oda has stated Miyazaki’s 1984 film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as a major influence in his artistic journey. One of Hayao Miyazaki’s philosophies has shaped Oda’s approach to dealing with One Piece‘s characters, which simultaneously has become a debated topic among the fans.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Influence on Eiichiro Oda
It’s a known fact that the late Akira Toriyama was the biggest influence on Eiichiro Oda‘s passion for manga. However, apart from Toriyama, another person who affected Oda’s storytelling ideals which is still considered a key element in One Piece’s story.
A still from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | Credit: Studio Ghibli
In a 1998 interview via Comickers, Eiichiro Oda revealed that Hayao Miyazaki’s work, particularly Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, left a profound impact on his creative philosophy. Miyazaki, an excellent storyteller known for his ability to evoke deep emotions through his films, taught Oda a valuable lesson in the art of moving audiences. Reflecting on Miyazaki’s influence, Oda said,
When I saw ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’, I thought it was cool to make people emotional. I thought, ‘I’ll make them cry too!’ So the theme is to make people emotional without killing them. Killing them seems too easy. But if that’s the way the story goes, then I guess that can’t be helped. But I thought it might be possible to make people emotional without killing them.
Oda admired how Miyazaki could ignite powerful emotions without needing to kill off characters, a narrative device that often feels like an easy way to heighten the drama. Instead of finding an easy way out to increase the intensity of the story, Miyazaki’s work highlighted the complexities of life, the weight of decisions, and the emotional journeys of characters.
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This particular perspective became a foundation for Eiichiro Oda’s storytelling in One Piece. He believed that characters’ deaths should only occur if they were absolutely necessary for the plot, rather than being used as a cheap way to elicit an emotional reaction.
Addressing the No-Killing Rule of Eiichiro Oda in One Piece
Hayao Miyazaki’s influence on Eiichiro Oda is most evident in his general approach to death in One Piece. Over the course of more than 25 years, One Piece has seen very few deaths despite the high-stakes adventures and epic battles the Straw Hat Pirates face compared to other Shonen with gruesome plots.
Instead, Oda has chosen to evoke emotion through the growth and struggles of his characters, allowing them to learn from their experiences and become stronger without the need for death to push them forward. And in some cases, he has even brought back some characters to life after their presumed deaths. Characters like Pell, Saul, or Pound have been given another chance to continue their journey in One Piece despite their apparent demise initially.
Pell from One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation
For many fans, these moments feel like missed opportunities as they believe that at certain points the characters’ roles would be much more significant if they wouldn’t get revived after their deaths. These moments would be more impactful and heroic considering that they got sacrificed for a greater cause.
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However, from Oda’s perspective, emotional impact can come from character development rather than death. Oda’s ability to move readers without resorting to death is proof of his skill as a storyteller. Like Hayao Miyazaki before him, Oda has created a world where the emotional journeys of his characters matter more than their ultimate fate, and where death, when it does come, serves a purpose far greater than mere shock value.
One Piece and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind are currently available to watch on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
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