One Piece is a legendary manga series that captivates fans with numerous exciting developments every week. As a shonen story, it is no surprise that One Piece features many battles that keep fans engaged week after week.
However, a significant concern that many long-time fans of One Piece have had over the years is that Oda often skips over many of the battles, only showing their outcomes. Fans often express disappointment towards Oda for not depicting a battle, even though he is the creator and has his reasons for making such decisions, which he has explained in the past.
Oda’s Many Ideas for Each Scene in One Piece: Balancing Importance and Execution
The primary reason Oda doesn’t include many fights in the pages of One Piece, especially during significant battles, is that he cannot squeeze all his creative ideas into just 17 pages. Jump has strict limits on the number of pages that can be published weekly, and it is entirely unfeasible for him to publish longer chapters.
One Piece has to fit within 17-18 pages each week, which is what Oda strives to achieve. His work involves meticulously crafting every detail that he thinks will occur within those 17-18 pages and figuring out how to fit everything in. If it were up to Oda, he would likely include many more pages in his chapters, making the new content even clearer.
Here’s what Oda mentioned about this topic back in 2021: “If I were allowed 30 pages every week, I would quickly finish my drafts.”
As evident from Oda’s statements, the main idea is that the author wishes to submit 30 pages for every new chapter. The reality is that Oda has to condense his ideas into the 17-page chapters, which makes it challenging for him. According to Oda, he spends a considerable amount of time deciding how to present his ideas within 17 pages.
If Oda could draft chapters that are 30 pages long, it would save him a lot of time by allowing him to submit longer chapters instead of the current 17-page format. In practice, fans would certainly appreciate this longer format, but unfortunately, Jump doesn’t operate that way. Oda always has to fit his concepts into the 17-page chapters.
Oda Only Focuses on the Most Important Battles in One Piece
Indeed, if Oda were to often draft 30 pages for his manga, he would have to cut out some elements to fit the 17-page limit. It is unquestionable that, for Oda, the narrative flow is the most crucial aspect, which is why many battles in One Piece are skipped to focus on pivotal moments. Certainly, these battles may have smaller scales, as all major battles are given special attention, as seen in the Wano arc.
Oda prioritizes any parts he deems necessary, and that is the version of the chapter that gets published. Fans may not realize this and often criticize One Piece for these omissions, but ultimately, depending on Oda, One Piece will be more detailed and elaborate than what fans are currently aware of.
