Oda Changed One Piece: Strong World's Story For Being "Too Touching" For Young Audience

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda was revealed to have changed the plot of One Piece: Strong World because it was “too touching” for younger viewers.

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda was revealed to have changed the plot of the 2009 One Piece Film: Strong World because the original concept was deemed “too touching” for its younger viewers, allegedly “shocking” the movie’s staff.

One Piece news translator Sandman posted a comment from Oda from 2016, where he revealed that Strong World was supposed to delve into Nami’s birth. “I had conceived the initial plot of Film Strong World to dig into the secret of Nami’s birth,” Oda said. “The movie staff was shocked to read the content. The story became a little too touching, so I revised it to be more exciting for the young audience.” Many fans reacted to this reveal with surprise and sadness, wishing they had not been “robbed” of Nami’s backstory.

Oda (2016): I had conceived the initial plot of Film Strong World to dig into the secret of Nami’s birth. The movie staff was shocked to read the content. The story became a little too touching, so I revised it to be more exciting for the young audience. pic.twitter.com/78gM9Kxrqb

— sandman (@sandman_AP) January 20, 2024

Its been almost 10 years we have matured enough

— JustRyo (@Victoryroad23) January 21, 2024

Oda (2016): I had conceived the initial plot of Film Strong World to dig into the secret of Nami’s birth. The movie staff was shocked to read the content. The story became a little too touching, so I revised it to be more exciting for the young audience. pic.twitter.com/78gM9Kxrqb

— sandman (@sandman_AP) January 20, 2024

As One Piece will nonetheless remember, Strong World was filled with many emotional moments surrounding Nami and the Straw Hats. As Golden Lion Shiki kidnaps Nami, she sacrifices herself by pushing her longtime crew mates away for their own safety. The film ends in a grand clash between Luffy and Shiki, with the film’s ending revealing that Nami trusted them to save her all along. Nami’s introduction to the One Piece anime was characterized by emotional storytelling, with the character forced to serve as navigator for the man who killed her adoptive mother. Unsurprisingly, Nami’s “Help me!” scene featured in CBR’s 10 Most Emotional One Piece Episodes, Ranked. Many who have grown up alongside the character said on social media that they could handle whatever Oda wanted to throw at them.

Including Nami’s, most of the Straw Hats’ childhoods have already been fleshed out, while the lack of detail about the mysteries surrounding their births specifically suggests that Oda simply isn’t that interested in expanding on them. Many expected Zoro’s birth to be a highlight of the “Wano” arc, but after decades of waiting, details surrounding Zoro’s parents were only revealed in an SBS.

Nonetheless, Oda referencing the “secret of Nami’s birth” certainly suggests that there may be more to the character than currently meets the eye — although whether fans are ever made privy to these supposed secrets remains to be seen. In the meantime, One Piece Film: Strong World, directed by Munehisa Sakai, can be purchased in Blu-ray form via Amazon or other retailers.