The Real Reason Why One Piece Creator Killed Off Portgas D. Ace

Portgas D. Ace was one of the most loved characters in the world of One Piece. He was the sworn brother of Monkey D. Luffy, and the son of the Pirate King, Gol D Roger. Ace was first introduced to us at Drum island, and later at Alabasta, where he met with his brother Luffy. Back then, Ace was on a hunt for Blackbeard, who had killed one of his comrades.

Since Blackbeard was in Ace’s division, he wanted to punish Teach himself. How’s, Ace didn’t know what Teach really was, and what his plans were. Teach defeated Ace at Banaro Island, and later handed him over to the Marines. Because of this, the War of Marineford broke out, and it has been one of the most iconic arc in One Piece.

It was during this war that we saw Whitebeard, and his Pirate Crew. We also saw the Shichibukai, and the Marines in full force as well. Legends like Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Garp, Whitebeard, and Shanks also took part in this War, all for different reasons. Ultimately, the Pirates succeeded in freeing Ace. But, he chose to sacrifice his life to save Luffy from Admiral Akainu. Ace’s death was one of the biggest shocks in One Piece, because this series isn’t really known for killing off people.

When Oda did it, even his editors didn’t want to see this. They told him that Ace’s death is not a good idea, but Oda didn’t listen. He was set on killing off Ace, and that’s what he did. The story would’ve been very different if Ace was still alive. But coming back to Ace, why did Oda kill him off?

The answer is simple. He wanted to give Luffy the desire to grow stronger. Luffy was very weak before the Timeskip. Oda used Ace’s death to make him train, groom him under Rayleigh, and then put him on the track to become the Pirate King once again. It would’ve also been possible without killing Ace off. But, the impact would’ve really have been the same. Ace’s death meant a lot.

Something similar happened in Naruto if you’re familiar with it. [Spoilers if you haven’t watched the series already] Naruto’s mentor, Jiraiya was killed off by Masashi Kishimoto in order to make Naruto stronger. Oda also used the same card, and it is very common in the world of manga and anime. Looking back at it, I think Oda made the right choice, and you should expect something similar to come in the future of One Piece as well.