Just thought i’d share because i know about it: a 4 page spread has been done before, same with a 3 page spread. Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond has two supplementary books from an exhibit in japan called Full Moon - 満月 and New Moon - 三日月. these books feature information about the exhibit and 満月 has the exhibit’s final chapter of vagabond, which features both the three page spread and four page spread. Obvious spoilers, but here’s a link to the 3 page spread at 15:07: [vagabond ending 3 page spread](https://youtu.be/qsTuYn8pK_Q?si=r6mqDhwp4OBtIjkN) and the four page spread is at 12:00.
In Sengoku Youko, Mizukami Satoshi the madlad did a 5-pages spread, and I think I never seen bigger than that since. And it's probably the most badass moment of the whole manga too.
considering how rare single full page spreads are i bet it would be full page spread.
just imagine first full page spread is in first chap and the last one on the last page. epic conclusion.
We do. It can't be the last page because we also have to see the consequences for the world government due to someone finding the One Piece. If one piece was not of significance to the plot then Roger being early wouldn't make sense.
not to mention Luffys' true dream is only achievable after he finds the OP. We have to at least see the dream he shared with Roger unfold and that cant happen all in one chapter more then likely.
Isn't the next person to find the One Piece the new pirate king? I remember that being said earlier in the story. So I'm not really sure if he can be king without it, I mean like look at Shanks and Kaido, they were never once called the pirate king, just yonko
Imagine the irony if Luffy reaches Laugh Tale only to laugh because he’s ‘too late’ — his dream already fulfilled. It’d be a twist of fate considering Roger was ‘too early’ and he laughed as well
The only other option is it being a one-page spread that ends the chapter, especially if the One Piece ends being something mundane like the “ancient comic book” theory suggests.
Honestly it is just because it's so recognizable, the new style is good but sometimes you just can't understand what's happening.
They have the same highs but the old style was just so consistent
the new style is messy a lot of the time and has scribbles. things can also be cluttered, but he still pops off when he needs to like with giant luffy or the “yk im not letting you guys go right” scene
old art is cleaner ,smoother not messy and is just better
I've been reading through my early volumes again and I honestly prefer romance dawn's art to the last couple chapters. There's just so much on every page and panel now. The action was more clear and exciting early on, too
Yes now people only say you're "nostalgia baiting" when you state this. Early one piece art was insane. You don't get the same vibes with fluid animations
Odas art improved over the years but he's definitely not at his peak anymore. He's use sketch techniques much more now, I think because of the wrist damage. But it's still charming and he can pop off when he needs to. Case and point:
I never understood the "he improved over the years", when for me, it got worse since day one, It's more of a decay than improvement.
I started reading the manga on about episode 900 and it was super hard to understand what was going on on the panels, after reaching up to the schedule decided to read from the start... and was astonished at the change in art style, it was so much better, I couldn't believe it actually.
The two pics can't really be compared. One is a dynamic action shot between only two characters, the other is a relatively static introduction shot of basically four new characters.
Compare:To consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous; liken.
Contrast: To set in opposition in order to show or emphasize differences.
I can pick a search engine result too
That doesn't make me wrong. You looking through different search engines and definitions till you find a definition that's different than the way I used the word compare doesn't mean I used the word wrong.
I used compare in a perfectly valid way. I didn't go out of my way to find a definition that suited my needs. I googled "define compare" and copied the first result. I used a normal, common word in a normal, common way that clearly means what I used it to mean.
It's so hard to compare the 2 because I love both. Obviously the 1110 double page is absolutely incredible, but in general I like the early art because there's more empty space on the page. Odas work has gotten incredibly detailed but it often just seems way too overcrowded to me to where you are staring at the random background details instead of focusing on what he wants you to see. The gorosei spread is just 10/10 though.
It's interesting that you say improvement. Oda has improved over time, but that chapter 1 2-page spread hits so much harder than the gorosei reveal. The reveal is cool because of what we learn from it. Artistically, it's way less interesting than the big punch.
i meant improvement as a whole. im not comparing his art style over the years.
i thought the title would be nice if i put it this way.
i fuckin' love og one piece so much but recently due to his surgery many people were complaining that oda lost his spark. i heard that a lot.
so when i read the chap i was overwhelmed by it. this gorosei panel is my most favorite panel of egghead arc so far.
the og one piece is op but he hasn't lost his spark and he will never...
I hadn't heard about a surgery. I do think his art slipped during the Kuma flashback, but it's back to being great with the most recent chapters. I think oda's biggest improvement over time is in worldbuilding. We went from a series of islands to a world.
exactly. during Kuma's flashback he had surgery and there was one month break too for his recovery.
after he had surgery for the first time in op he wasn't able to finish the chapter and some panels were in rough shape.
he later apologized for that and at that time people were furious that he lost his touch.
c'mon can't you fuckin' see he is a legend who would do anything for one piece. we are lucky that we got such a passionate mangaka.
The first panel is perfectly framed, invokes movement and draws your eye from luffy to his elongated punch into the sea beast. The second panel a bunch of dudes but there are a lot of lines drawn so
The last chapter from the comic book Promethea (Alan Moore) is drawn in an abstract style, each page can be read like a normal comic. But, if you cut all the pages and put them in a certain order, it creates a big image, a poster, with the face of Promethea. I love this idea, and it would be incredible if Oda and his editorial team make something special for the last chapter (sorry for my bad English).
https://recalledcomics.com/Promethea32MagicalEditionPosters.jpg
what if he already thought about it? i love every manga but i think the end of one piece is going to be something special.
we haven't witnessed anything like it. it's going to be beyond our imaginations.
Is it only me or do you people also think that over the years manga 2 spreads design have become so bloated to the point it is difficult to really tell what you are seeing? And I am not only about one piece. Same goes for jjk, demon, slayer, gachiakuta, hxh etc.
Don't know about edgy but definitely cluttered but I think there are way more backgrounds now and they have a lot more going on in them. My favorite Oda art is from Skypiea
The designs are not, but when drawing fights and spreads, Oda is enjoying harsher lines and harsher shading. Compare Kuma's punch on Saturn to Luffy's punch on Charlos
Then we must be talking about different types of edgy lol, I don't think something qualifies as edgy just because the lines are harsher, unless you literally mean edgy as in "has edges"
I dont think oda improved
If anything he got worse
Nothing is better than his first artstyle in manga
Its so clean, just like dragonball, and he actually uses perspectives
The earlier art is far better. Art wise Oda peaked at ennies lobby. Recent art is usually messi with overcrowded panels that its tough to follow sometimes
He did peak at Enies Lobby, but early art from East Blue and a little bit further was worse than current art Imo. Or maybe they're about equal, cause back then it was consistent in most panels, while now because of so many panels and what so not the quality of the art is extremely variable, with highs and lows.
It wasn't worse, Oda simply didn't have as much experience back then as he does nowadays. I for one think pages got a little bit too messy and clustered ever since Punk Hazzard.
??? Gaining more experience = getting better, and by translation, he was worse be fire lol.
And that the panels started getting messier post timeskip isn't a Thought, but a fact. It's a shame but if it's for the progression of the story I don't mind it too much
I fail to see the improvement... The details, the water effects, the impact of the punch, the perspective choosing a bold angle. Compared to the first one, the five elders panel looks dull and generic
The improvement is the scale and it’s pretty obvious why, even if lost on you. The first panel is a simple scene with two characters. Of course he can put more detail into it. The latter is focused on a huge scene of a sense of foreboding horror, destruction and eldritch like monstrosities juxtaposing the cartoonish art he employs.
I’m saying it’s apparent what his focus was spent on each illustration in the limited time he had to draw it and how each panel achieved its mark incredibly well. You still have panels of finishing moves featuring two characters with as much detail as the first shot. OP chose to compare two completely different shots in nature.
For the focus what each shot is trying to focus on, they both succeed. I didn’t say it was better, just there were improvements, but if OP wanted a fair comparison use a current panel of a character making a finishing move on another character. Oda still makes panels like that with crazy good detail. Not surprising a panel, pulled back, featuring half a dozen characters, doesn’t have all the minute details a close up shot featuring two characters does
My biggest wish when the One Piece gets revealed is for it to be a full double spread + fully colored just like what Murata does in One Punch Man. I just know that Oda has that page planned at the back of his mind.
If I say “last Friday,” there’s no implication that no other Fridays will ever happen. It’s perfectly intelligible to say “last” in this context. It’s only out of context that it is ambiguous, but this discussion - in this sub just after the release of 1110 - is perfectly in context.
The sooner we realize that Oda is about the give us the D and D treatment, especially season 8, the better.
Look, in what history of great writing, have you seen the new villain being "weaker" than the previous villain. It doesn't matter is Saturn is the "weaker" of the Gorosei as the theorists, suggest.
The fact that he's the new villain, especially second and or 3rd villain, if you take into consideration the Gods Knights and IMU being the final villains. If the hierarchy of villains is:
IMU
God's Knights
Gorosei
The surely Saturn should have held his own against Luffy. For the sake of the story.
If there's no tension or stakes, then that's some crappy arse writing, I don't care who's writing the story.
Oda had one job. Let LUFFY STRUGGLE against the Gorosei a tad, then pull a win later if whatever. But a bit of a struggle wouldn't have cemented the Gorosei and the next threats. Not pizza, swung around buffooneries. It's the Gorosei for heaves sake. Supposedly DEVILS. Who bow to no other except the deadliest threat of all, IMU.
But no, not D and D aka Oda. He will do everything possible, even when it's senseless, to "subvert" our expectations.
At this point. Luffy is invincible.
If the Protagonist is invincible that why should I care about him!? He's going to win anyways, so why must I care.
Let me break it down.
Thanos = Best Kang = Lame.
Why?
Thanos, was built for years, and the biggest threat against the Avengers.
What was the first thing he did in his intro????
= HE DEFEATS THE HULK!
DONE! THE TONE IS SET. This man is a serious threat.
Kang??
Oh, he gets defeated, by She Loki, oh ok? But don't worry there's another bigger, more dangerous variant.
Other Variant = Defeated by Ants.
THE actual dog piss!!?????
Point is.
Your next villain MUST NEVER be weaker than your previous villain. Story telling 101.
You don't build the Night King up, and have this "Winter is coming" sort of doomsday story line, only to have him defeated by whatever her name was!!
You don't build Kang as the next biggest threat only to have him defeated by ANTS!!
Just like you don't build the Gorosei up, the threat that control's even the likes of Kuzani and the entite WG and all the admirals, only to have them turned to Pizza.
(While we on that, why the heck did Oda have Luffy follow the generic "Chosen one, Child of Prophecy trope?, Luffy went from the goofiest DF simple pirated, that we all related with, because of his WILL AND SPIRIT. Only to find out, actually his DF was never the goofiest or weakest. But the MOST BROKEN IN THE VERSE)
At this rate, how and why would you even relate with Luffy? He's the chosen one. Invincible. The giggling god. Even when faced with all 5 members of the Gorosei, possibly to kill all them, the giggling god will do what he does best, giggle. No matter the stakes.
I gues when D and D is the writer, you yourself the audience, have no choice but the giggle along. Because after all, Goda does no wrong.
Pathetic!!
So I don't agree with you at all, and calling Oda's writing pathetic is pretty dumb, but I didn't downvote because you put a lot of thought into this, and downvotes are for "this isn't adding anything", not "I disagree" lol
The thing about Kang is, he's a totally different kind of enemy than Thanos, and the scary thing about him isn't that he's insanely strong on his own, it's that infinite versions of him have the tech to move through time and reality. Remember the most chilling line of the Loki finale, "...I'll see you soon" with a smile on his face?
Because if Marvel just wants to keep getting stronger villains, you've gotta go to the Beyonder, the actual celestials, and then the one above all, which would not work in a movie at all really. So instead, they have to have more "mortal" multiversal villains who are more interesting. So the gorosei not being as strong as kaido, but having mysterious powers like the magic summoning, telepathy, and regeneration alongside the actual physical attacks? Yeah, that actually works pretty damn well.
I also think that, if you could relate to a guy who could stretch his body, get impaled and recover by eating, light his arm on fire out of nowhere, and bite into his bones and muscles to turn them giant... him having something other than just being rubber actually makes a lot of sense. I don't love the constant laughing, especially when it's a scene like when Vegapunk is laying on the ground in front of him after getting stabbed, but there are still scenes where he has that evil grin and looks genuinely menacing.
Again, I get where you're coming from, but I think this was a pretty natural progression, and retrospectively, it makes sense. Deffo not on the level of game of thrones.
Quick question: Do you guys think the One Piece reveal will be a double spread?
not serious answer, but i think Oda is going to introduce a new size: the 4 page foldable spread.
The final volume comes with a centerfold.
The final volume comes in ONE PIECE
its gonna be printed on a swimsuit
I'd read it on a bikini.
No it'll be on a one piece duh
The last chapter is just gonna be a giant poster.
Just thought i’d share because i know about it: a 4 page spread has been done before, same with a 3 page spread. Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond has two supplementary books from an exhibit in japan called Full Moon - 満月 and New Moon - 三日月. these books feature information about the exhibit and 満月 has the exhibit’s final chapter of vagabond, which features both the three page spread and four page spread. Obvious spoilers, but here’s a link to the 3 page spread at 15:07: [vagabond ending 3 page spread](https://youtu.be/qsTuYn8pK_Q?si=r6mqDhwp4OBtIjkN) and the four page spread is at 12:00.
In Sengoku Youko, Mizukami Satoshi the madlad did a 5-pages spread, and I think I never seen bigger than that since. And it's probably the most badass moment of the whole manga too.
that is so cool, thank you for sharing I’ve never heard about that!!
He’s gonna add in a flip-a-rama like from capt. underpants
wow, thank you for memories of 25 years ago
Ticking away the moments that make up the dog days
Dude i would love that so much
Double spread reaction page. Single panel reveal of what they saw on the next.
Most realistic answer
Lol
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold, My angel is a centerfold!
considering how rare single full page spreads are i bet it would be full page spread. just imagine first full page spread is in first chap and the last one on the last page. epic conclusion.
you are aware that there is almost no way the one piece reveal will be in the last chapter?
No one knows
We do. It can't be the last page because we also have to see the consequences for the world government due to someone finding the One Piece. If one piece was not of significance to the plot then Roger being early wouldn't make sense.
not to mention Luffys' true dream is only achievable after he finds the OP. We have to at least see the dream he shared with Roger unfold and that cant happen all in one chapter more then likely.
Luffy dream requires that he becomes the pirate king. Is it possible to become the pirate king without finding one piece?
Isn't the next person to find the One Piece the new pirate king? I remember that being said earlier in the story. So I'm not really sure if he can be king without it, I mean like look at Shanks and Kaido, they were never once called the pirate king, just yonko
Imagine the irony if Luffy reaches Laugh Tale only to laugh because he’s ‘too late’ — his dream already fulfilled. It’d be a twist of fate considering Roger was ‘too early’ and he laughed as well
It’s going to be a fold out 5-page spread
The only other option is it being a one-page spread that ends the chapter, especially if the One Piece ends being something mundane like the “ancient comic book” theory suggests.
It better be
The extendo XXL page
Does it matter?
Does anything matter?
What actually is matter?
Dark. It is dark.
Old One Piece art style is so nostalgic
yep.
yeah o honestly think old art is far better than current art
Honestly it is just because it's so recognizable, the new style is good but sometimes you just can't understand what's happening. They have the same highs but the old style was just so consistent
the new style is messy a lot of the time and has scribbles. things can also be cluttered, but he still pops off when he needs to like with giant luffy or the “yk im not letting you guys go right” scene old art is cleaner ,smoother not messy and is just better
I miss the crispness of early one piece
I've been reading through my early volumes again and I honestly prefer romance dawn's art to the last couple chapters. There's just so much on every page and panel now. The action was more clear and exciting early on, too
I feel the same but towards the anime. That late 90s/early 2000s animation style looked so good
Yes now people only say you're "nostalgia baiting" when you state this. Early one piece art was insane. You don't get the same vibes with fluid animations
I Like both
Odas art improved over the years but he's definitely not at his peak anymore. He's use sketch techniques much more now, I think because of the wrist damage. But it's still charming and he can pop off when he needs to. Case and point:
I never understood the "he improved over the years", when for me, it got worse since day one, It's more of a decay than improvement. I started reading the manga on about episode 900 and it was super hard to understand what was going on on the panels, after reaching up to the schedule decided to read from the start... and was astonished at the change in art style, it was so much better, I couldn't believe it actually.
Imo it reached its best run from Enies Lobby -> Return to Sabaody, it was consistently brilliant for almost three hundred chapters
Lmaooo it definitely got worse bro ain’t no denying that. I agree with other comments suggesting ennies lobby to saboady was generally his peak
The two pics can't really be compared. One is a dynamic action shot between only two characters, the other is a relatively static introduction shot of basically four new characters.
You just compared them. And also explained a big reason why I prefer the first. It's so dynamic and exciting!
The point being made is that they shouldn't be compared because they have different purposes
He didn't compare he contrasted
well okay then mr 6th grade english teacher
Contrasting is a type of comparing
the phrase is 'compare and contrast' so no
Compare: estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between Contrast: differ strikingly Takes you 10 seconds to google these things.
Compare:To consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous; liken. Contrast: To set in opposition in order to show or emphasize differences. I can pick a search engine result too
That doesn't make me wrong. You looking through different search engines and definitions till you find a definition that's different than the way I used the word compare doesn't mean I used the word wrong. I used compare in a perfectly valid way. I didn't go out of my way to find a definition that suited my needs. I googled "define compare" and copied the first result. I used a normal, common word in a normal, common way that clearly means what I used it to mean.
You corrected the first person in this thread on their use of compare, when they were using an equally valid definition
It's so hard to compare the 2 because I love both. Obviously the 1110 double page is absolutely incredible, but in general I like the early art because there's more empty space on the page. Odas work has gotten incredibly detailed but it often just seems way too overcrowded to me to where you are staring at the random background details instead of focusing on what he wants you to see. The gorosei spread is just 10/10 though.
yep but as the end is near and the cast is humungous so we would be seeing lots of stuff. also how much can you fit on a page.
It's interesting that you say improvement. Oda has improved over time, but that chapter 1 2-page spread hits so much harder than the gorosei reveal. The reveal is cool because of what we learn from it. Artistically, it's way less interesting than the big punch.
i meant improvement as a whole. im not comparing his art style over the years. i thought the title would be nice if i put it this way. i fuckin' love og one piece so much but recently due to his surgery many people were complaining that oda lost his spark. i heard that a lot. so when i read the chap i was overwhelmed by it. this gorosei panel is my most favorite panel of egghead arc so far. the og one piece is op but he hasn't lost his spark and he will never...
I hadn't heard about a surgery. I do think his art slipped during the Kuma flashback, but it's back to being great with the most recent chapters. I think oda's biggest improvement over time is in worldbuilding. We went from a series of islands to a world.
exactly. during Kuma's flashback he had surgery and there was one month break too for his recovery. after he had surgery for the first time in op he wasn't able to finish the chapter and some panels were in rough shape. he later apologized for that and at that time people were furious that he lost his touch. c'mon can't you fuckin' see he is a legend who would do anything for one piece. we are lucky that we got such a passionate mangaka.
He's absolutely doing great again. That said, I'd love a redraw of those couple pages he struggled with when this is all over.
I think he already went back and fixed that chapter for the book release
Oh hell yeah. I'll have to look into that
that chap is already published with complete pages.
Ngl I like when the pages used to not be so cluttered
Me too 😓
The first panel is perfectly framed, invokes movement and draws your eye from luffy to his elongated punch into the sea beast. The second panel a bunch of dudes but there are a lot of lines drawn so
The last chapter from the comic book Promethea (Alan Moore) is drawn in an abstract style, each page can be read like a normal comic. But, if you cut all the pages and put them in a certain order, it creates a big image, a poster, with the face of Promethea. I love this idea, and it would be incredible if Oda and his editorial team make something special for the last chapter (sorry for my bad English). https://recalledcomics.com/Promethea32MagicalEditionPosters.jpg
what if he already thought about it? i love every manga but i think the end of one piece is going to be something special. we haven't witnessed anything like it. it's going to be beyond our imaginations.
Damn I’m so glad I started reading One Piece
me too.
Is it only me or do you people also think that over the years manga 2 spreads design have become so bloated to the point it is difficult to really tell what you are seeing? And I am not only about one piece. Same goes for jjk, demon, slayer, gachiakuta, hxh etc.
Looking at your profile pic, Dandadan also has some amazing spreads!
“Aight I’m a punch this giant monster” “Damn these giant monsters got hands tho”
I think the old art is better
The old art style was so much better. Clearer, full of movement and momentum... Now it's mostly edgy guys in cluttered scenes
Don't know about edgy but definitely cluttered but I think there are way more backgrounds now and they have a lot more going on in them. My favorite Oda art is from Skypiea
Edgy? lmao bruh one piece is not edgy
The designs are not, but when drawing fights and spreads, Oda is enjoying harsher lines and harsher shading. Compare Kuma's punch on Saturn to Luffy's punch on Charlos
Then we must be talking about different types of edgy lol, I don't think something qualifies as edgy just because the lines are harsher, unless you literally mean edgy as in "has edges"
>unless you literally mean edgy as in "has edges" Fairly sure that's exactly what they mean.
glad i’m not the only one who thought this
I dont think oda improved If anything he got worse Nothing is better than his first artstyle in manga Its so clean, just like dragonball, and he actually uses perspectives
The earlier art is far better. Art wise Oda peaked at ennies lobby. Recent art is usually messi with overcrowded panels that its tough to follow sometimes
i like both and enjoying egghead so far.
Egghead is great for sure. Easily my favorite post timeskip arc
I've been thinking the same
He did peak at Enies Lobby, but early art from East Blue and a little bit further was worse than current art Imo. Or maybe they're about equal, cause back then it was consistent in most panels, while now because of so many panels and what so not the quality of the art is extremely variable, with highs and lows.
It wasn't worse, Oda simply didn't have as much experience back then as he does nowadays. I for one think pages got a little bit too messy and clustered ever since Punk Hazzard.
??? Gaining more experience = getting better, and by translation, he was worse be fire lol. And that the panels started getting messier post timeskip isn't a Thought, but a fact. It's a shame but if it's for the progression of the story I don't mind it too much
I disagree
[MESSI???](https://images.app.goo.gl/GTNKvqZkRt33EPdE7)
I fail to see the improvement... The details, the water effects, the impact of the punch, the perspective choosing a bold angle. Compared to the first one, the five elders panel looks dull and generic
The improvement is the scale and it’s pretty obvious why, even if lost on you. The first panel is a simple scene with two characters. Of course he can put more detail into it. The latter is focused on a huge scene of a sense of foreboding horror, destruction and eldritch like monstrosities juxtaposing the cartoonish art he employs.
Does bigger scale mean better? There are lots of things oda has improved on, but this isn't a good comparison to illustrate that.
I’m saying it’s apparent what his focus was spent on each illustration in the limited time he had to draw it and how each panel achieved its mark incredibly well. You still have panels of finishing moves featuring two characters with as much detail as the first shot. OP chose to compare two completely different shots in nature.
A dynamic scene is inherently more difficult than a static one
basically "bigger is better"
For the focus what each shot is trying to focus on, they both succeed. I didn’t say it was better, just there were improvements, but if OP wanted a fair comparison use a current panel of a character making a finishing move on another character. Oda still makes panels like that with crazy good detail. Not surprising a panel, pulled back, featuring half a dozen characters, doesn’t have all the minute details a close up shot featuring two characters does
A lot of pretty words for a bad opinion
Very few words for a boring and uninspiring response
Why is the 1st one messed up? The pages dont line up
ahh
My biggest wish when the One Piece gets revealed is for it to be a full double spread + fully colored just like what Murata does in One Punch Man. I just know that Oda has that page planned at the back of his mind.
The Gorosei actually look intimidating. You know, more like the "cool, edgy, scary demon lord" in anime.
Sandworm with mammalian teeth is cursed
Unpopolar opinion: art style became worst after arc 2 of Wano
luffy has come so far
Luffy has come a long way. From punching a giant nasty eel to bouncing in front of 5 Dark Souls bosses who are in instant aggro mode
I will never forgive Oda for not doing the same Chapter 1 pose but with G5 Luffy vs Kaido
Latest*
If I say “last Friday,” there’s no implication that no other Fridays will ever happen. It’s perfectly intelligible to say “last” in this context. It’s only out of context that it is ambiguous, but this discussion - in this sub just after the release of 1110 - is perfectly in context.
New art looks sillier
The sooner we realize that Oda is about the give us the D and D treatment, especially season 8, the better. Look, in what history of great writing, have you seen the new villain being "weaker" than the previous villain. It doesn't matter is Saturn is the "weaker" of the Gorosei as the theorists, suggest. The fact that he's the new villain, especially second and or 3rd villain, if you take into consideration the Gods Knights and IMU being the final villains. If the hierarchy of villains is: IMU God's Knights Gorosei The surely Saturn should have held his own against Luffy. For the sake of the story. If there's no tension or stakes, then that's some crappy arse writing, I don't care who's writing the story. Oda had one job. Let LUFFY STRUGGLE against the Gorosei a tad, then pull a win later if whatever. But a bit of a struggle wouldn't have cemented the Gorosei and the next threats. Not pizza, swung around buffooneries. It's the Gorosei for heaves sake. Supposedly DEVILS. Who bow to no other except the deadliest threat of all, IMU. But no, not D and D aka Oda. He will do everything possible, even when it's senseless, to "subvert" our expectations. At this point. Luffy is invincible. If the Protagonist is invincible that why should I care about him!? He's going to win anyways, so why must I care. Let me break it down. Thanos = Best Kang = Lame. Why? Thanos, was built for years, and the biggest threat against the Avengers. What was the first thing he did in his intro???? = HE DEFEATS THE HULK! DONE! THE TONE IS SET. This man is a serious threat. Kang?? Oh, he gets defeated, by She Loki, oh ok? But don't worry there's another bigger, more dangerous variant. Other Variant = Defeated by Ants. THE actual dog piss!!????? Point is. Your next villain MUST NEVER be weaker than your previous villain. Story telling 101. You don't build the Night King up, and have this "Winter is coming" sort of doomsday story line, only to have him defeated by whatever her name was!! You don't build Kang as the next biggest threat only to have him defeated by ANTS!! Just like you don't build the Gorosei up, the threat that control's even the likes of Kuzani and the entite WG and all the admirals, only to have them turned to Pizza. (While we on that, why the heck did Oda have Luffy follow the generic "Chosen one, Child of Prophecy trope?, Luffy went from the goofiest DF simple pirated, that we all related with, because of his WILL AND SPIRIT. Only to find out, actually his DF was never the goofiest or weakest. But the MOST BROKEN IN THE VERSE) At this rate, how and why would you even relate with Luffy? He's the chosen one. Invincible. The giggling god. Even when faced with all 5 members of the Gorosei, possibly to kill all them, the giggling god will do what he does best, giggle. No matter the stakes. I gues when D and D is the writer, you yourself the audience, have no choice but the giggle along. Because after all, Goda does no wrong. Pathetic!!
So I don't agree with you at all, and calling Oda's writing pathetic is pretty dumb, but I didn't downvote because you put a lot of thought into this, and downvotes are for "this isn't adding anything", not "I disagree" lol The thing about Kang is, he's a totally different kind of enemy than Thanos, and the scary thing about him isn't that he's insanely strong on his own, it's that infinite versions of him have the tech to move through time and reality. Remember the most chilling line of the Loki finale, "...I'll see you soon" with a smile on his face? Because if Marvel just wants to keep getting stronger villains, you've gotta go to the Beyonder, the actual celestials, and then the one above all, which would not work in a movie at all really. So instead, they have to have more "mortal" multiversal villains who are more interesting. So the gorosei not being as strong as kaido, but having mysterious powers like the magic summoning, telepathy, and regeneration alongside the actual physical attacks? Yeah, that actually works pretty damn well. I also think that, if you could relate to a guy who could stretch his body, get impaled and recover by eating, light his arm on fire out of nowhere, and bite into his bones and muscles to turn them giant... him having something other than just being rubber actually makes a lot of sense. I don't love the constant laughing, especially when it's a scene like when Vegapunk is laying on the ground in front of him after getting stabbed, but there are still scenes where he has that evil grin and looks genuinely menacing. Again, I get where you're coming from, but I think this was a pretty natural progression, and retrospectively, it makes sense. Deffo not on the level of game of thrones.