The creators of Netflix’s popular series One Piece have explained why they chose not to kill off any of the villains.
The series, created by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, is adapted from Eiichiro Oda’s manga of the same name, which was first published in 1997.
When it was shared to streaming platforms, One Piece topped the Netflix charts in many countries, with over 100 million hours watched within its first week.
However, many fans have noticed that the show’s villains are not punished by death. Talking to Deadline, Owens revealed why this is the case. He explained that “Dreams are very important in the One Piece world, and Oda has said before that what’s worse than death is a dream being taken away.”
He added, “So when you see a lot of the villains that we meet, they have these machinations, they have these desires — often nefarious — and the Straw Hats take those away from them.”
“When there is death in One Piece, it’s even more impactful because you’re not dealing with death every single story arc necessarily. That is Oda’s perspective as an artist and creator, and it’s something that we have taken on as well,” Owens continued.
One Piece has been renewed for a second season, which is currently in the process of being developed.
