In the last saga of a pieceEiichiro Oda is paying more attention to the likes of the monster trio of Straw Hat Pirates consisting of Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. The Monster Trio are the crew's three strongest fighters, always known to take on stronger enemies no matter what. Their power is immense, and their rewards, all of which are upwards of a billion, go to show for it. It is undeniable that the monster trio is vital to the crew's survival in the new world.
However, sometimes a pieceOda has been particularly guilty of focusing on the Monster Trio and neglecting the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates. This was evident in arcs like Wano, and in the Final Saga, both the Egghead and Elbaf arcs so far. Because of the monster trio, the Straw Hat Pirates' side cast is neglected, and as such, they don't get much development.
Eiichiro Oda has a strong bias towards the monster trio
It should come as no surprise to learn that Eiichiro Oda has a very strong bias towards the monster trio of Straw Hat Pirates. The trio was first established in the story before the timeskip, and they always faced the strongest of the enemy group. In Arabasta, the Monster Trio involved the three strongest fighters of the Baroque Works, with Luffy being the strongest, Zoro the second strongest, and Sanji the third strongest. This trend continued in One Piece and survives to this day. However, before the timeskip, Oda balanced the monster trio with the rest of the crew.
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For example, in the Arbusta arc, each Straw Hat got their own moment to shine, and the Monster Trio clearly didn't overshadow anyone. In Skypiea, the Monster Trio didn't even get personal fights, and the likes of Nami and Robin were more important. Similarly, the Water 7 arc focused all the Straw Hats together, and in the coming arcs, the Monster Trio and the Straw Hat Pirates did equally well.
Monster trio taken down? That's bad! – Nami
However, as the Straw Hat Pirates grow and the enemies grow stronger, Oda's prejudice against the monster trio only grows. In a way, it's understandable, these three fighters are only capable enough to take on the strongest enemies of a piece. However, since Oda is so focused on them, it ignores the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates and prevents them from furthering their power.
In the Wano Country arc, where Zoro and Sanji were officially highlighted as wings of the Pirate King, Oda's prejudice towards the monster trio is further strengthened. Essentially, these are the two strongest and most important members of the Straw Hat Pirates after Luffy, and also next in command. This dynamic is hammered home once again in The Final Saga, particularly in Elbaf, where their roles are compared to those of Rayleigh and Gaban. Apparently, Oda's Monster Trio bias is growing, as is fans' frustration with the lack of focus on the rest of the Straw Hats.
The monster trio is holding back the other straw hats going strong
Oda cannot juggle all the straw hats at the same time
The Monster Trio has been getting stronger over the course of One Piece, and it goes without saying that they'll be even stronger in Wano, with the likes of Zoro and Sanji learning the potential winner's Haki. However, their growth will likely come at the cost of the growth of other straw hats, which is unfortunate. Because the Demon Trio is always there to save the day and fight against stronger enemies, the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates don't really grow into battle. Clearly stated in one piece, Haki is a power that blossoms when one's back is against the wall and they push themselves beyond all limits.
The existence of the Demon Trio prevents the Straw Hats from putting themselves in such situations, and is one of the main reasons why the vast majority of Straw Hats do not have access to hockey. If the Straw Hats had been placed in more dangerous situations, perhaps they would have evolved even more, and the reason this never happened is because of the Monster Trio. To be clear, the Demon Trio itself is essential, and without it, the Straw Hat Pirates cannot function. It should also evolve with each passing arc, but it needs to find a better way to throw some highlights on Oda as well as some side characters.
Oda must find the perfect balance between the monster trio and the other Straw Hats
Side characters need more focus
If a piece Should be the perfect lead actor, Oda needs to balance the importance of the Monster Trio and the rest of the Pirate King's Wings crew. So far in Elbaf, only the Demon Trio have had significant moments. The rest of the Straw Hats were easily taken down by a single Holy Knight, and were useless for the vast majority of the fight. Similarly, Elbaf was largely considered Usopp's arc, but so far, he has been completely overshadowed by the likes of Zoro and Sanji.
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The monster trio that saves the day is great, and it's pretty much what the Straw Hat Pirates need to get to the top. However, one piece has clearly failed when it comes to paying attention to the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. For reference, Nico Robin hasn't learned Haki yet, Usopp hasn't had his moment in the Elbaf arc, Jinbei has been embarrassed by the likes of Gunko, and the likes of Nami and Chopper haven't had a moment to shine in years. These are things that Oda needs to address in the Elbaf arc, and if they aren't fixed, the Straw Hat Pirates can't be called a successful crew.
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As soon as Oda starts paying more attention to the Straw Hat Pirates' side cast, the Monster Trio will have more fun on its own, and many of the fans' complaints will be quickly resolved.
At the end of the day, the Monster Trio will always be the strongest and most important fighters of the Straw Hat team, but because Oda is so dependent on them, it can hinder the growth of other members of the crew. Hopefully, the latter half of the Elbaf arc will change that and balance the growth of the Monster Trio, with the growth of the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates, which is important for Luffy to truly establish himself as the captain of the strongest crew at sea.
One piece is available to read on Manga Plus.
- Release date
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October 20, 1999
- network
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Fuji TV
- directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Ito, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Noimauji, Tokahiro, Enoji Maudo Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- The authors
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Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Usaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey d. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
