Alabasta Arc was ALMOST my favorite so far... One Piece First Time Reader Reaction!

[@GrandLineReview]

Alabasta is the arc where we all come together to bond over our mutual distaste of fake out deaths. Fantastic arc otherwise :D

[@DudesTalkingManga]

Agreed!!!

[@jeffreymeehan3567]

While there will still be instances of characters surviving things that they probably shouldn't (I guess folks from the world of One Piece are just built different), I don't think there are any future instances that are as grievous or upsetting as Pell tanking what was effectively a tactical nuke. Oda has said that he doesn't like to kill characters as that prevents you from telling future stories with them (a sentiment he has since proven wrong) and that he prefers to reserve character deaths for when they will be truly important and impactful (as though Pell's wouldn't have been ...). That said, I think almost every One Piece fan is in agreement that fake-out deaths are very much NOT a good thing, especially when they make no sense and are over-used.

[@snipersougo13]

​@@jeffreymeehan3567 surving things they shouldn't. Like a child not eating for 60 days?

[@cavendish2925]

@@jeffreymeehan3567 "I guess folks from the world of One Piece are just built different" Not just a guess, but a fact of the series. Oda himself confirmed (if I'm not mistaken in an SBS) that OP characters are more durable (more like far more durable lol) than real life people, that's why they don't die even from things that are supposed to outright kill them - I'm not specifically referring to Pell surviving a bomb explosion to the face here, but to situations similar to Usopp having his skull broken by Mr. 4's 4-TON BAT and still lived to tell the tale, random people surviving having their necks and spines broken by Robin, hell Zoro should've straight-up died after getting slashed across the chest with a huge ass sword by Mihawk: just a few off the top of my head. Still doesn't excuse what Oda did with Pell by the way. To this day his fake-out death is still the most egregious case in the entire series just because of the sheer drama and weight put into it by Oda with regard to his relationship with Vivi prior to his "self-sacrifice" to save Alabasta, only to find out at the end of the arc that he survived and Vivi's tears for him amounted to nothing.

[@keithgraham8588]

@@snipersougo13 You can go around 3 months without food though. As long as you are drinking water.

[@ryanross3824]

No one likes the Pell fake out. No worries there, I like the take of vivi’s growth. The usual take is luffy learns how to become a leader through her. Not that she’s learning to become one herself. And your knowledge and experience in fantasy always makes the speculation and questions section exciting.

[@blank3914]

And they forgot pell is a zoan user he can heal faster than normal human

[@khairulanas5659]

Sigh, if Pell had any significant role after his fake out I could have accepted by now..

[@thedoctor3528]

Hey, i like nicely done fake out deaths in moderation but that's just me

[@rendy3730]

@@khairulanas5659 True, like Igaram or Bon-clay they have a role after the supposed "death", but Pell just became a normal bodyguard after that

[@4984christian]

I like it!

[@matus19971]

"I love how he painted out the maps and set up the geography" Tekking shedding a tear and his chest swelling with pride: "Ikr right?!" 😂

[@clff1342]

Because “GEOGRAPHY IS EVERYTHING!!!!”

[@matus19971]

@@clff1342 DUM DUDUDU DU DUDUDUUUUM!

[@thefunnychaurasia]

Underrated comment

[@paft27]

I would say that Igaram's survival is the only one that actually made sense, it was Robin who "killed" him after all, as shown when she showed up on the Going Merry afterwards, and she wasn't exactly loyal to Crocodile. He lived because Robin wanted him to, she faked his death.

[@Torazuki]

Agree, I think this was more of a device to slyly reveal that Robin, who is a convicted mass murderer, decided not to murder a guy when she could have than it was a happy fake out.

[@philitinthecup]

Igaram's survival reveal was also around the same time as when Nico Robin pulled Luffy out of the ground. Immediately after, Pell walks back up to challenge her again. 3 people who she ended up "sparing." Edited for phoneposting mistakes.

[@SunSlayerKD]

I believe that there is an anime-exclusive scene too where there is a small tease indication that Robin helped Igaram actually survive, but I could be wrong there. She definitely had a hand in that though, given how she saved Luffy as well and wasn't really out to destroy Alabasta.

[@TooMuchCarbs]

​@@SunSlayerKD there is, it shows her numerous hands just before igaram exploding

[@RiveroftheWither]

​@@OxLloydPeople are allowed to be disappointed about the overwhelming amount of fake out deaths. (Spoilers) Part of what makes Marine Ford one of the best arcs is that Ace and White Beard die, like ACTUALLY DIE, it makes the emotional turmoil solid, you feel what Luffy feels, and that heaviness, that weight actually sticks with him and becomes a huge bit of character growth but also had a huge impact on the show as a whole going forward with the time skip. If a few episodes later Ace just popped up and said "Just kidding guys, I'm actually fine and escaped my execution!" it would have absolutely ruined the arc. People love and feel for the crew because so many of their pasts are filled with death and hardship that shaped them into the characters they, they were impactful moments that left people crying. Fake out deaths diminish the impact and meaning behind the sacrifice, it leaves a lot of viewers and readers feeling stupid for being emotionally invested. Hell, when Marine Ford first came out, a lot of peoples first reactions were *apathetic* because they were waiting for the fake outs. It's not like we're a bunch of AOT edgelords wanting to see death because we think it's cool. We're just tired from all these beautiful, well written character moments being undercut and cheapened by the writer himself. Maybe it doesn't bother you but that doesn't mean no one is allowed to be bothered by it and share their opinions. People can love a show/manga but still have criticisms and aspects they don't like. Fanaticism isn't healthy.

[@KuraishiRei]

14:36 Well, that's a joke that have a mistranslation because it's difficult to make in English, but in the original Luffy hears Crocodile say he's a "Shikibukai" (He says like "I'm one of the seven warlords" but could be interpreted as the name of the group "Sevenwarlords"), Luffy responds that, if Crocodile is a "Shikibukai" he's a "Hachibukai", like "Sevenwarlords" "Eightwarlords", he "adds" a number, as if it was a contest of "The strongest has the biggest number". He does a similar joke when soon after Alabasta Zoro says he respects Vivi's decision about staying in her kingdom. To that, the boys start to call him names and Luffy says "Santoryu" (Three sword style), Usopp says "That's not an insult!" so Luffy tries again with "Yontoryu" (Four sword style) as if the "sword style" is an insult and the number (three/four) is how offended he should be.

[@Garp-8]

Glad you're enjoying the story so far , I have to say 99% of the fandom didn't like what happened with Pell and he became a meme because of that . Igaram was fine for me because it was Robin who supposedly killed him , sad no clarification but that's what I figured after she showed us she isn't 100% with Croc

[@dragonwings123456789]

Don't be afraid to voice any concerns u have over the story. Genuine reactions make this series worth watch

[@patricklatham3897]

Speaking of moles...Usopp once told a tall tale about Mole People. And it came to pass that he faced an actual Mole person named Miss Merry Christmas.

[@andreaszimmermann6200]

He should have a list of all of Usopps tall tales go real

[@DarkDay2012]

Don't forget the island that turned out to be fish poop from an island fish

[@tcrpgfan]

@@DarkDay2012 Or what happens to him in dr- stop, no spoilers.

[@brendanmystery]

Usopp with the prophetic sight.

[@Phanthief95]

It’s stuff like this that makes me believe he will be a captain with 8000 men. I even know where he’ll get them from.

[@stalhein62]

Mr 2/Bon Kurei (often romanised to Bon Clay) is actually both the male and female partner - his alias is a mix of two Japanese festival, O-Bon and Kure. His real name (not that it's ever relevant) is Bentham.

[@danimalwonderpants2123]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@nina5247]

Regarding Pell fake death, I've read somewhere that it was Oda's support expression for the USA after the 911 attacks. Pell as an Eagle represents the USA and his revival represents the USA standing again and reborn after the horrific attacks as Pell did.

[@HaohmaruHL]

I've searched about this in Japanese and couldn't find a single thing. The only answers were that hawks are fast and can outfly it. The 9/11 thing is probably made up by western fanbase and americans don't realize that the rest of the world, especially such isolated island nation like japan don't care about 9/11 that much. Most don't even know about it. Also nobody associates an eagle/hawk with the us outside the us unless someone actually points it out about a white headed one. Because when I hear "eagle" I'm automatically thinking the default brown one, just like the one Pell turns into.

[@stalhein62]

The lack of deaths outside of flashbacks is more a symptom of shounen manga than of One Piece - Pell was a particularly egregious example that we've debated for over 20 years at this point. But Oda is prepared to kill off characters when their story is at an end. If you go back and look at the scene where Igaram's boat blew up, there's a panel of Miss All Sunday using her powers - seems likely enough she pushed him into the water rather than let him die. Another clue to the mystery of Nico Robin.

[@hbsavage0387]

As for Pella death the rumor around it is because that chapter came out near 9/11 he didn’t want to kill off a character in a terrorist attack. Cause you know in bad taste

[@Slashyboiii]

@@hbsavage0387that was just speculation. nothing official on that. but i still think Pell was a BAD choice

[@erikaoo4571]

ペル=イム説が浮上しています

[@pandanganmatiyn1487]

I also had the same head canon as to how Igaram survived, bc Robin did infact saved him from the explosives Mr. 5 and Kilo girl placed in the boat. As to Pell, i really dont know how he survived.

[@MAT-wn5fr]

It's not just that One Piece is shonen. One Piece is cartoony and very romantic and geared towards children, especially early on. One Piece can get away with this more than most stories but it was still bad like you said.

[@yere8781]

Haven't watch it yet, its Pell right?

[@taimohamed4447]

Oda has a problem with fake out deaths for sure - one of the good things that come of this though is that when someone really dies it really HITS

[@prashantpurohit4408]

I see what you did there

[@gillybyrd5296]

I’d argue that the real deaths hit far worse because of fakeout deaths. There are characters that died 5-15 years ago that I still half expect them to show up again next arc and say “surprise, I lived!”

[@Grimbear13]

@@gillybyrd5296 lol you're not wrong... there have definitely been deaths that happen that I was just like "...kay... well they'll be back in a min" and then hundreds of chapters later I'm like yeah they probably are dead... but no emotion cause I already passed it.

[@axelmok498]

Which is a shame and makes Oda sound like a hypocrite because in an early interview, he wish more author committed to character deaths. I think Oda has it in his head if they don't officially die he isn't doing the same, but that's not the case.

[@dew7555]

Wdym? Oda only kills characters in flashbacks... 🤫

[@ramseyhassan9941]

I'm amazed that Alabasta did not hit for him. Arlong Park was the arc that got me to fall in love with One Piece but Alabasta was the arc where One Piece became my favourite Shonen. The deep social themes, the epic Luffy vs Crocadile fights, The big fake Vivi ruse that turned into the different Straw Hat battles with Baroque Work agents, The mysterious Miss All Sunday and the fascinating ponegylths, and that nail biting climax to stop the bomb that ended in the final fight and symbolism of the rain finally falling and the straw hats X hand farewell salute - all genius. Maybe it's because my 1st experience of it was via the anime which had an incredible soundtrack and brilliant animated fights with the rain done so well. The only negative is Pell not dying lol

[@DudesTalkingManga]

I loved the arc! It was a hit, just had a con is all

[@groobells]

@@DudesTalkingMangaeah and your take is exactly what most one piece fans think! Amazing arch for all the moments you touched on and an egregious fake out death no one liked. This has never been confirmed but there has been a thought for a long time the decision to bring Pell back might have been influenced by the events of 911 happening in America around the time alabasta was reaching its climax. There was some thought at the time that the editors weren’t comfortable with the terrorist bomb death. But take it with a grain of salt cause no one can confirm the source since it was so long ago

[@apoptosisduellinks109]

Yes, it was very clear to me that this arc DID hit for him (a lot).

[@ramseyhassan9941]

@@DudesTalkingManga agreed about the con

[@luckaskalt9181]

Right know you finished the Intro of one piece. Know you know how the world (the grandline) works. Now Oda can build on your understanding and Go over the top.

[@ChrisCronix]

Not hundred % sure if it's true, but I heard Oda meant to kill Pell. But the chapter released right around 9/11, and he felt blowing him up wasn't tasteful at the time.

[@rindettaroy2295]

I've heard the same thing. Kinda sad that the story suffered because of that

[@thornray1025]

It's not impossible, but there's literally NEVER been any sources for Oda saying that 9/11 was the reason. And we all know that Pell isn't the only time this happens in the series.

[@KajtekBeary]

@@thornray1025 yep, but pell is propably the worst one

[@SuperAdam2468]

Pell flying in with Luffy came out on 9/10. Oda had already planned to have the clocktower bomb and to have Pell sacrifice himself. But to have the guardian diety(a Falcon) of the country die from a bomb set in a tower by a terrorist in a desert country wouldn’t be right. It was only weeks after a terrorist organization from a desert country attacked the World Trade Center in a country whose national symbol is the Eagle.

[@Sheeshus9]

First and looking forward to watching this! Crocodile is one of the best villains in all of one piece!

[@luckaskalt9181]

Crocodile is my favorite non strawhat. One more thing never Count Out people. Almist everyone comes Back in one way or another. Potentiel verry smal Spoiler ( deleted this If its😮 to much) S P O I L E R The most recent Manga chapters Just make everything that hapend in this Arc so much more interesting. Just give me more Crocodile.

[@Sheeshus9]

@@luckaskalt9181 I agree. More crocodile please! 👍🏼

[@Toshineko]

I couldn’t agree more.

[@themarzz5025]

Really like your reviews, it was actually sanji that called himself mr prince, not chopper, and the fact that sanji keeps deceiving baroque works from little garden till thaat point is so cool for me

[@Kalkuv]

For me personal both are mr prince, in front of the casino.

[@JoshTheValiant]

Chopper does call himself Mr. Prince, as part of the distraction to lure Crocodile away from the casino. It is Sanji's idea and he also and primarily used the alias, but it's not *in*accurate to say Chopper calls himself Mr. Prince.

[@grey_emi]

I was surprised he left Sanji out of the deceits and disguises part. Sanji/Mr. Prince tricking and outsmarting Crocodile to free the rest of the crew is pretty significant, and it sets up a lot of elements that will be important in the future.

[@Monkey-fk7zo]

Chopper did that to fool crocodile

[@Phanthief95]

I think he was talking about when Chopper was calling himself Mr. Prince in order to draw Baroque Works away from Crocodile’s casino so Sanji could get in to free the crew.

[@JoshTheValiant]

The implication with Igaram from my perspective is that his is the truest of fake-out deaths; Nico Robin tricked the crew into thinking she killed him, when she didn't. With her power and our perspective on that moment, it is fully possible that she threw him overboard before setting the bomb off, and her confrontation with the Straw Hats afterward is all posturing to try and get them to interfere, as we know later that her cooperation with Crocodile is all surface level, and she has no intention of telling him anything about the weapon at all. Every action Robin takes is meant to frame herself as a loyal agent and partner to Croc, and a helping hand to the Straw Hats to create chaos and disrupt Crocodile's plan while aiding her ability to get to the Poneglyph. Keeping Igaram alive is one more event that points in that direction. Never confirmed anywhere, not even in the SBS IIRC, but consistent with what we know of her. Pell tho iono. There are some potential explanations available, especially as you get deeper into the series, but they're all extremely tenuous. Glad he's alive, meh about how he survived.

[@f.carasind4188]

My "explanation" for Pell is related to the second thing that doesn't work in this scene. If Crocodile's estimate of the bomb's radius is correct, the bomb should have destroyed or at least damaged even more of the city, instead of fizzling out ineffectively in the air. The only conclusion is that someone ripped Crocodile off when he sold the bomb, since he couldn't verify the promise.:)

[@irfanharithzain3240]

I got into One Piece in 2016 so the Pell thing never really bothered me, I thought it was just a part of the story😅 In the last year I’ve thought about how he survived and the answer that comes to mind is Awakening🤔😌 So in short, I was fine with the Pell survival situation in 2016 and I’m still fine with it now🙂 I still expect Pell to either have prosthetic legs or really scarred/damaged legs😤

[@elmuchaco5037]

Hey just for your information, there's a mistranslation that many fans relay. When Pell says that there are only 5 known flying fruits, he is saying that there are only 5 known models of the bird fruit (he is the falcon model). A Japanese friend translated his sentence for me directly from the raws long ago. So don't overthink it 😊

[@DudesTalkingManga]

Thanks!

[@Grasication]

Very good takes! I share them except for Igaram which was fine imo, since otherwise it would mean Robin killed him which I wouldn't have liked. Looking forward to your next video. I predict the next saga will be your favorite one so far!

[@jakeport5381]

The Pell thing is the most egregious example of a fake-out death that i can think of in any manga that i've read. That being said, it's definitely not true that characters don't die in One Piece. They do, and not just in flashbacks.

[@vitemeful]

@@ChrisCronixI’ve heard this as well.

[@justlooking070]

Iirc the Pell fake out was because of 9/11. It was not a good look for a flying bomb death in the wake of that disaster.

[@rottenpotato4733]

It's true most of the times though, Pell is hardly the only one to get an emotional fake-out death, it happens more often than not and to such an extent that any one of us can easily name three characters with the letter P who got that, which isn't a good sign. There's actually (waaaaay) more fake deaths than actual deaths in this manga, excluding flashbacks and it ruined many great arcs.

[@emperorluffy6001]

@@rottenpotato4733 Thats actually incorrect. The number of fake-out deaths you can probably count on one hand. Actual deaths tend to number in the thousands. You don't remember because you only pay attention to the deaths that happen on-screen. During Marineford it was implied that the Marines were murdering countless pirates while plenty more marines were already dying due to prolonging the war and not treating their injuries. Thats the whole reason for the Koby scene.

[@Grimbear13]

@@emperorluffy6001 None of those are real characters they're background chaff. Yeah tons of people actually die in OP but to the reader they're meaningless if you don't hav esome kind of attachment to it. Also no there were more than a 5 fakeout death's in Wano alone. It made all of the actual deaths mean nothing to me when they happen so much so that at the end of it all in the manga I was like "Wait? They died?!"

[@TheBeeesKnees]

LETS GOOOOO 🎉🎉 you are zooming through these volumes and I relate so hard because when I started I couldn’t stop at this point either lmao

[@DudesTalkingManga]

I’m only slowing down to make these videos 😂

[@rottenpotato4733]

The fake-outs are horrible, but I don't agree Igaram can be included as a fake out, since he was "killed" by Nico Robin. It doesn't need to show, but Nico Robin actually pushed him off the ship with her devil fruit hands before it exploded, saving him in the process, because of her mixed feelings towards Crocodile. It's subtle, but becomes more clear when you see in hindsight.

[@EdmoTV]

A while ago I kept forgetting Koza's name, which might mean he's not worthy to die 😅For him to die we would need more chapters for me to create a bound with the character and it would be like (Berserk spoliers) Judeal, Pippin, Corkus death. For that reason I think the only death that would be satisfactory in this arc would be Vivi, because she was the only one we spent enough time time with (I'm not saying she should die). I have my own non-canonical reasons why the other characters survived. It is very easy to make excuses. Characters are more durable in the One Piece world, the fishman are more durable than humans and the eagle is above fish in the food chain 😅. For me Nico Robin could have killed Igaram, if he survived it's because she wanted to. I'm not defending Oda, I think he may have made a mistake. He may have regretted the "people die" scene where Luffy hits Vivi and that's why "people don't die" now. I've heard that Pell surviving has something to do with 9/11, so Oda did not let the character sacrifice himself in an explosion (or Oda was forced to). I also heard that Oda wanted a happy ending, for Vivi's sake... I don't know if it's true because it doesn't matter to me, my own non-canon excuses are good enough for me.

[@khaelstorm2552]

Hey mate, just to clear something up, Pell ate a devil fruit that allows him to turn into a peregrine falcon, which is the fastest bird in the world when it comes to diving, achieving nearly 400km/h when at max diving speed, whenever he reached enough height so the bomb wouldn’t hurt the people down in the square, he just dove down as hard and as fast as he could, the reason he got hurt is probably for falling face first on the sand and not from the explosion itself. Usopp gets his skull bashed in by a 1 ton baseball bat, One Piece has some crazy physics.

[@stalhein62]

Slight correction to Robin's bounty - at the age of 8 she sank SIX battleships, not just one.

[@stalhein62]

@@gentleman2.061 Spoilers dude, and not even correct spoilers

[@Lightbluecloud1]

@@gentleman2.061 Dude really... remove that

[@dpseven375]

Ingram's fake death is kind of necessary in order to make Robin's joining strawhat more acceptable, especially for Shounen story

[@skits_3d824]

No spoilers here. This Arc as you've seen with drum island is kinda the polar opposite. While letting one island start over with a new leader this arc is to prevent that. That's one thing I love about Oda's writing. One story pulls something from the other past stories. Just like the captain Kuro and Morgans link you've brought up before. Nobody dies in one piece. 🍵

[@naviro6672]

True... People die when they are forgotten... We wont forget any character will we 😊

[@thedoctor3528]

Hi do you like donuts?

[@HebiSnake]

​@@thedoctor3528Oof.

[@raykoasianime.tv21]

Fun fact: Oda was also crying when he drew that scene of Vivi desperately screaming to stop fighting

[@johanjoseph4802]

Hey Jimmy.... I'm guessing that long pause after you spoke about the 10000 year old character is an editing mistake 😂✌️. Also... Im really hoping that you get through this series with as minimal spoilers as possoble. Godspeed Mate.

[@lobais]

I didn't remember the 10,000 year thing! I'm surprised nobody have brought this up in recent theories 😮

[@charliegunthers]

i enjoyed hearing your thoughts and analysis on alabasta! im looking forward so much for skypiea next!

[@emaanyishayi2199]

Alright on to the next one! Yessss there's a lot more we want you see! in our whacky world of one pieces❤

[@OMNIhydra1]

Igaram living is important in further characterizing Robin. Remember, the only reason you're lead to believe he died is because Robin shows up. It's to continue to establish that Robin isn't just indiscriminately killing for Crocodile. She spares everyone she is pitted against in this arc, and goes out of her way to save Luffy. It helps illustrate that Robin is straight up undermining Baroque Works at every turn, whenever possible so that when Robin is revealed to have lied to Crocodile about the Pluton, everything clicks and you understand she has been one of the good guys from the start. Now the other fakeout, yeah that one seems pretty unnecessary to me. I can see why it was done this way, ya know keep the story more upbeat especially after the heartfelt goodbyes from Vivi and Bon Clay, but I feel like that one should've just been a proper heroic sacrifice.

[@sanayeonnana9601]

"nobody dies in one piece" .. oh boy oh my sweet child

[@zimzim1679]

And it only get better form here loved the review, and I think your going really enjoy the next two arc. Can't wait for the videos!!❤

[@stalhein62]

When Luffy said that people die, he's talking from experience. He saw at least two people die in front of him when he was a child - the bandit Lucky Roo shot in the head, and Higuma the bandit leader who got eaten by the Lord of the Coast. It's quite refreshing to see a shounen protagonist be so realistic about death.

[@air1das]

you forgot grey terminal

[@2XocraM]

​@@air1daspretty sure he was avoiding spoilers, my dude.

[@cindersofcreation]

@@air1das Delete your comment; name dropping un-mentioned things is still a spoiler; let him come into the story organically like most of us did.

[@kunilsen2519]

@@air1das Dude...

[@jlawrencedavis]

This arc is what hooked me. I can't wait for you to see your theories come around or get shot down. That will be fun. I'll never understand fans desire for death, but Pell was disappointing. That obsession is why I don't like most of the stories on the bookshelves. I can't wait for your next reactions! Keep enjoying the story!

[@allencunningham9002]

This arc is really the first arc in how current day One Piece is told. Longer complex branching storylines that intertwine, not afraid to really split the crew up, heavy backstory that defines the entire arc instead of just specific characters.

[@fatma_zahra_ouni]

I can't wait to see your review on water seven, I liked one piece from the beginning, but water seven made me fall deep in love with it

[@Bombaclatuser]

You’ll love robin and luffy sharing the screen VERY SOON in water 7. I think you’re in for a treat with Robin

[@tobiaswedin]

Luffy calling himself the 8th warlord was not some big moment (and is in fact even a bit of a wonky translation), it is basically a wordplay gag and Luffy being stupid and childish. "The 7 warlords of the sea" in japanese is "schichibukai" (schichi=7) and Luffy said that he is "hachibukai" (hachi=8) thinking he one upped Crocodile by basically saying "you're in a group with a seven in it's name so I'm making up a group with an eight in its name that I am part of so I win". And Bon chan was never presumed dead? Caught yes, dead no. Pell having a fakeout death however is something the entire fanbase frowns upon so you're definitely not alone there!

[@Skeletor98]

the 7 warlords of the sea were being paid by the world government was revealed when Luffy, Sanji and Yosuke or Jonny were on their way to cocoyashi village, Jonny or Yosuke talks about jinbei specifically

[@stalhein62]

That piece of paper Ace gave to Luffy could spawn a whole video by itself, but don't worry too much about it for now - when it becomes relevant, it's very obvious.

[@Kalkuv]

As you already show panels here and there. I think it would be really helpful to show them if you talk about specific panels. Like the one about Zoro being affected be Ace Luffy relatonship.

[@Tyufvfv]

While its just speculation, a lot of people believe that the reason pell survived is because the bomb going off and Pell’s reveal of being alive occurred within a couple months of 9/11, (the chapter bomb went off was released nov 19th 2001, and the chapter pell was revealed to be alive was released feb 4th 2002) and Oda didn’t want to be insensitive

[@emeraldoctopusss]

This arc is in my top 5 purely for the amount of info gathering and developments. - Poneglyphs are introduced with a language that Nico Robin can read - concept of an ancient weapon - Ace is Luffy's brother + he's chasing Blackbeard (the man who destroyed Drum Island and made Wapol run away) - Blackbeard was a part of the Whitebeard pirates, killed a crew member, and then jumped ship - each Straw Hat has a life or death battle that helps them develop their character - Nami has her new weapon - Zoro learns to cut steel - Usopp shows true resolve (standing up for his captain's dreams) - it's Chopper's first major win as a Straw Hat - a warlord of the sea is taken down by Luffy - so many devil fruit abilities introduced - inanimate objects can consume devil fruits - it shows the world government may not only be corrupt at the base levels (i.e. Captain Morgan, Captain Nezumi), but on higher levels as well when they cover up the true reason for Crocodile's defeat, giving the victory to Smoker and Tashigi - Tashigi being crushed by the outcome and Smoker's response about the cover up is great - Luffy having Zoro save Smoker and him repaying the favor by letting them go There are so many other things that can go on this list. But this arc really sets the tone for the series going forward.

[@daniilpashuk6017]

V.P. dosnt get namedropped till Post-Enies Lobby

[@emeraldoctopusss]

@@daniilpashuk6017 thanks, for some reason I've always thought Miss Merry Christmas mentioned it, but if not I edited it out, you should probably do the same then

[@Phanthief95]

Another thing I would add is that Zoro gets his first bounty at the end of Alabasta.

[@emeraldoctopusss]

@@Phanthief95 that's also a great moment, and poor Sanji didn't get one haha

[@Phanthief95]

@@emeraldoctopusss Except it makes sense Sanji didn’t have one. Zoro’s bounty mainly came from his actions in Whiskey Peak whereas Sanji’s actions during the Alabasta saga didn’t make him stand out. If he stood out, he wouldn’t have been able to be Mr. Prince.

[@guszane3347]

Loving the discussions so far 🔥🔥

[@Royicahn]

Thing to add about pell... the reason he didn't die and oda did confirm is that those chapters with pell were done by september 11th...

[@SkurvySkyfloper]

The will of P. lives on. EDIT: That long pause at 26:25 is cracking me up! Intentional or not, I'm dying XD

[@yumnicorn]

Oh your top 3 arc is real valid! If anyone commenting about it negatively, just dont mind them lmao

[@yarumada9880]

Dude really ... i thank you for keeping me sane this month without One Piece. Like ive said before its always cool to get the reactions of people who just started the manga. Don't be afraid to express every minute ideas or emotions you have we're all for it.

[@chillinsma4378]

loving these videos even though i've only watched the anime. looking forward to more reactions/reviews.

[@MrTAZ0047]

I read somewhere that Pell's explosion happened around 9/11 and the editors suggested that such death would be concerning.

[@Joescotterpuss]

According to A Thing I Read On The Internet, Oda had Pell dying initially, but the chapter where he dies came out around the time of 9/11 and the Shonen Jump editors wanted to not have a guy die in an explosove act of terrorism in a major city.

[@thefirst9500]

Nice video man! Fake out deaths will definitely still be part of the manga going forward, but if it makes it any better, Pell is the worst of it. Like you said, you can usually gloss over it. With that Pell thing, I wonder if Oda was going through something? He must've realized it was some BS, but it seems like he couldn't accept it. As the creator of these characters, killing them is like letting go of a part of himself.

[@vartin29]

I mean there is another takeout death far worse than that of pell and that is of a swords man who is not fixed right . Wont say more since its clearly spoilers .

[@MikoDoodles]

25:49 there you have it, you solved one piece. This is what it's about and it becomes more apparent as the series continues

[@akainuoptc7633]

Pell fakeout is pretty accepted to be a botton 5 op moment, even to the point that people theorize about real world reasons to explain why it happend. (No idea if they actually have any merit) However in the broader spectrum about characters not dying, i argue pretty strongly its a good thing characters arent killed off constantly. Having an approach on that earlier on will help in the long term not get too caught up on it. A lot of people disagree with me, but honestly easily killing off characters is the cheap way out a lot of times. Its a fast and easy way to illicit an emotional response, and also not have to worry about wrapping up the characters beyond that point. For something like op that is so long and world detailed, characters not dying a lot is EASILY a strength and much harder to do. This is just a general thought to the "characters need to die more" argument and not about pell specifically. However i do think people get way too caught up on that as hes a pretty minor character overall.

[@christianroy4177]

About Igaram, its because it was Robin doing the "killing" and she wasn't exactly loyal to crocodile

[@deca2128]

I feel like the fakeout deaths really take away from the impact of Luffy and Vivis argument. Luffy is telling Vivi to be realistic and that people she cares about WILL die, and Oda presents him as being correct. But then we see Pell, Igaram and Koza all survive what should've been death. To me it seemed like Oda wanted to kill all of them but because it's a shonen he was scared to do so.

[@DudesTalkingManga]

Agree

[@Ericleong93]

Me watching one piece Before wano Oda you should kill more people After wano Oda ! stop! Enough! Stop !

[@4984christian]

Pell and Igaram are part of a Happy Ending. You are supposed to feel relieved. Its not that they have no consequenses, there health or willpower will take a big hit when this happens. DO NOT TAKE IT SO SERIOUS! Its not supposed to be, in that case its a fairytale. Just be glad for Vivi that she could achieve her Goal :)

[@leftoflove]

I've been reading one piece since 2004 when one of my highschool counselors suggested reading graphic novels to help with my dyslexia. I credit it with sparking my love of reading and envy you being able to enjoy it for the first time.

[@joonaheikkero432]

You’re now officially 20% through the story. Do you have the speed speed fruit?

[@waifuhunter9709]

Kouza gives me vibes of another anime prtagnist with top hat I forgot his name

[@thatsafinecigar86]

Many people believe that Pell was supposed to die but the editors requested the change. This issue was released in November 2001. A significant character dying from a terrorist bomb within weeks of 9/11 was not something they wanted to do.

[@alexr4834]

Oda does have a problem with killing off characters. I recall hearing that he likes to keep them alive to give the arcs a happier ending. But to a degree it makes the deaths which are real more impactful. As you move futher from their death it sinks in more that they are gone.

[@marcweber8509]

It's probably been said already, but Pell didn't die because 9/11 happened recently before and Oda didn't want to kill him off. Sure, there's a thing with fake-out deaths but when Oda kills someone it usually matters even more.

[@Lanselot2069]

"fun" fact, the reason pell survived was because of 9/11, oda felt the bomb wasn't exactly in good taste, so he reversed it, pell was 100% meant to die.

[@SmilingJack65]

So while I'm sure you're aware at this point about the general rumor that Pell survived due to that chapter's release being so close to 9/11, there is some credence to it as it came out on Nov 19th 2001; which would have been the very next chapter after 9/11 occurred. So it makes sense that they may have censored Pell's death due to a sense of bad taste. What I really want to touch on though is Igaram's situation. I went back and checked and, while the explosion is going off, there is no clue in the manga that he survived. However, in the anime, they decided to do some more clever foreshadowing by having a very short "blink and you'll miss it" animation of Nico Robin arms appearing with a sound effect that we later associate with her using her powers right before the explosion goes off. It's played in such a way that any anime viewers on their first viewing immediately suspect that Nico Robin and feel that their suspicions are confirmed once we learn what her powers actually are. However, when we learn that Nico Robin plans to join the crew at the end of the arc, that short animation takes on a new meaning. When we go back and look, we can tell that her arms had appeared in a pushing motion; so anime fans generally believe that Nico Robin used her powers to push Igaram off the boat and into the sea so that he survived. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Alabasta and I liked some of the insights you made. You certainly have come up with some ideas and observations that other OP enjoyers did not on their first time through and I look forward to what you think of the next 3 arcs. @Dudes Talking Manga

[@foggy8298]

One Piece fans overall seem to dislike Oda's unwillingness to kill characters very often. It's seemingly an insecurity of sorts in his writing. Or perhaps more of a precaution he puts in place in case by some wild chance he wants to bring back any character he would've normally killed. Which is a sign of insecure writing in its own right- Pell was one of the best parts of Alabasta and his bizarre survival retroactively sucked out the threat of the bomb. If that bomb just gave everyone ultimately temporary burns and left them bedridden for a few days when you're in the epicenter of the blast, Vivi could have just let it gone off and stopped the fighting that way... Which is very silly and not in the good One Piece way.

[@arpitagrawal7534]

Pell's fakeout death is universally disliked and regarded as one of the worst moment of the series. I am more open to Igaram's fakeout death because of Nico Robin. As you can see throughout Alabasta, Robin was not an actual ally of Crocodile. It is probably in the manga as well but in the anime when she blew up that ship, you can see several hands popping on Igaram's ship. Likely assumption could be that those hands are for dropping the bomb but she can do that with one of her hand. She used a lot of them to remove Igaram out of the ship. That's my theory.

[@mhhassan23]

If this makes you feel better about Pell's cop-out death. I heard that Oda did mean to kill him. But at the time this chapter was released 9/11 happened and he didn't think pell dying from a bomb off a tower was a good idea anymore, so he made it so that he survived so that it wouldn't upset audiences. Also, for Ingram's death, for me it kind makes sense that he didn't die. He was supposedly killed by Mrs. All sunday or nico robin, which at the time would make sense, since you think she's a villain. But later you find out that she doesn't actually like crocodile and is working for him for her own goals, so Ingram being alive is kind of an easter egg to that fact that she's not actually a bad person. Her saving luffy also doubles down on that idea.

[@chandlerholloway2047]

23:25 - I don't think you'll find a single One Piece fan that won't find some problem that they have with the series somewhere, so you should definitely not shy away from expressing your discontent with something about it. In fact, things like this are healthy for discussion and engagement when communicating to other enjoyers of the media. A media is a lot more interesting to talk/hear about when you have a mixture of things to say about it between good and bad. Something rated between a 4 and an 8 is a lot more interesting to discuss than something that's decidedly a 1 or a 10. I hope I explained my viewpoint on that in an understandable way, lol. Anyway, I love these! Can't wait for more, and for you and your homie to get another episode up regarding his experiences too.

[@Tomahawkklein]

About the fake out deaths: it is a little strange that people just survive things that would kill them just because, but I can understand every one of them for a few reasons, firstly; the author doesn't like to depict death unnecessarily, it is a story about dreams and hope, and even with all of the darker undertones, it is a story for children, so he doesn't want to just kill indiscriminately, second; the people in the one piece world are not equivalent to our world, their lifespan is different for one, its not uncommon for people to live above the age of 100 and they are at their peak physical condition in their 40's as opposed to ourselves in their 20's, and they are much more resilient then the average human, you can see it in the Ussop fight, his injuries would kill any normal human a dozen times over, but Ussop is an average human in this world and he is just fine after, and thirdly and most important of all; there are factors in the story that you may yet not know, that give credibility to why certain characters survive, you already saw one with Ingram, he was "killed" by Robin, but as you now know, she wasn't just a Crocodile minion that does his bidding without thinking, so it's wholly possible that she just made it look like he was killed, as for Pell, I was also very confused by his survival, but after learning a few facts about the devil fruits, I can see at least one reason for his survival, mind you it's not explicitly stated that this is what happened, but for the sake of consistency I think most people like to believe their own theories rather than just accept blindly that someone could survive x situation. One final note, I personally think that fake out deaths are fine and they do elevate when a real death occurs (as rare as they are), they do happen in One piece and not just in flashbacks as we've seen.

[@nanachin2808]

I really love you talking about things i have loved for years... one piece is unique, im very exited for your journey!! See you in the final saga jimmy

[@pritzenritz629]

Bon Clay really is a very cool guy :D but well, let's just say some statements you said might be difficult to understand :P But trust me, One Piece always hits the spot in the arcs ^^

[@roberttass3713]

The Igaram thing was not a fakeout since that was all Robins deceptions. Pell having a fakeout is not good, but it does not affect the feelings and motivations from characters in the moment. Pell had every intention to sacrifice himself and just because he lives does NOT take away that heroism.

[@venmissa]

Pell’s fake-out death was so bad. His sacrifice had me in tears, so to see him still alive felt like that sacrifice didn’t mean anything. Also, how did he survive? It shouldn’t be possible.

[@just_unnamed]

Another great analasys and yeah I agree my biggest critic on one piece is that charakters who should have died (logically and from a story telling point) somehow end up surviving. I loved pels and igarams sacrifices but it doesn't really mean anything if they end up surviving. Igaram can be excused by the fact that nico robin "killed" him because she also didn't kill pel when she could but pels death at the clocktower was set up great and was a very emotional and epic sacrifice but he somehow survives which takes a lot of meaning from the scene. There are a few more fake deaths in one piece but in my opinion Pels is the "worst" one when it comes to story telling. In some cases it isn't necesserily the story telling that suffers from fake deaths sometimes it actually more that your view of a villains gets a bit ruined when they are not even able to kill a singel side charakter with their ultimate move not even unimportant once.

[@riduanaqil1452]

The Igaram fake out deaths actually make sense and have character relevance for Nico Robin but the Pell fake out death is commonly hated amongst fans but there is a theory that it happened because the chapter about him blowing up a building came out a couple of months after 9/11

[@seriozha3254]

I don't know about the manga, but moments before igaram was supposed to be killed, many hands sprouts on the scene. It's clear it was Robin's devil fruit powers and she saved igaram and the vulture and beaver were there on that island so they must have dropped those bombs. I mean not everything is fake out death.

[@derHelper]

keep going! i love your speculation of one piece that i have 10 years ago^^

[@taimohamed4447]

im having so much fuun with these videos - dont worry about having qualms/problems with parts of the story. There are some who take it badly in the One Piece community but there are always rabid fans for a series as popular as One Piece, dont worry about them. Any reasonable fan of any piece of media knows no story is perfect for everyone

[@sigma723]

I would just like to say that this by no means justifies the pattern of no one dying but oda has said why he doesn't like killing people 1 he doesn't know if he'll want to use them later and thinks pre emptively killing someone just to bring them back later like in other manga is a sign of someone not thinking ahead and 2 he likes drawing parties and people having fun and cant justify people being happy just after someone died

[@shimshawcreamtime2845]

Oda brought back pell apparently because that chapter came out right before 9/11

[@Kibi27]

while it is rare death definitely does happen in OP, but it's their legacy that always lives on. after all the series was kicked off by Roger dying and leaving his legacy for the world to go after

[@Maxpain350]

Drum island is no where near alabasta I'm sorry it's not even close I agree with the fake out deaths but that's don't take much of how epic alabasta was and how mediocre drum island is

[@lazuliuniverse3681]

Igaram's fake out death i can actually understand, even if not shown, because the one responsible for it was Nico Robin, who we have already seen that can act in ways that supposedly go against the bigger plan (not destroying the going merry, offering help, saving luffy). But Pell really does sting, because it would tie his arc and story really well, but oda wanted to keep him alive for something he could eventually want to so with him, and yeah, it wasn't great. Also something that i wanted to add is that Bon Clay is actually queer and goes by any pronoun actually (he/she/they), not only tying it to his devil fruit but also a freedom of expression we often don't see in one piece without the character being opposite to the law I really enjoy your view points and journey through the one piece story, and i hope you continue to enjoy it as much as you do now Keep up the good work and don't forget to take good care of yourself❤

[@ThebassTHX]

I agree with the fakeout deaths. something to be aware of i stared to watch one piece when i was 9 or 10 in tv. I think I was the current target audience and death doesnt do to well with kids often times. i think Oda has a way more mature audience by now and I think it shows in the writing style. keep the videos coming i`m here for the good and the bad in your reviews feel free to tell us what you didnt like ❤

[@hopesndreamsperformance7617]

I'm just waiting for you to get to the Paramount war waiting for those reactions😅

[@Bardic_Knowledge]

So, Mx. 2 Bon Kurei being the only Numbers member without a partner is because Crocodile acknowledged that they are bigender and "count as their own partner." We even see Bon proclaiming that they are both man and woman as they dance through the desert. It's just that when this arc was published, there wasn't really any established precedent for how to refer to a nonbinary character (see also Crona from Soul Eater, another nonbinary character in manga).

[@EdBurke37]

I'm okay with Igorahm not being dead because it tells us something about Nico Robin. She's the one who supposedly blew him up but he's not dead cuz she didn't want him dead.

[@mxixkxexyx]

Yeah the part about nobody dieing is the biggest complaint that most readers have about one piece

[@tackton]

Oda once hinted in an Interview, that he didn't want to kill a character with a bomb due to the, then recent tragedy of 9/11.

[@SpartanThrone]

Excellent video, i REALLY enjoyed your previous one on Drum island too. Just RE Pell, some people may have mentioned it but there is often discussion of the timing of Pell's death happening right as 9/11 happened. The significance of a large act of terrorism in OP with a huge bomb in the sky coinciding with the horrific events of 9/11, so Oda went back and made his death not final. Not sure exactly how true that is from Oda's side, but it's been referenced in a few big vids ive seen on Alabasta. And for that reason I'm happy to overlook Pell.

[@lordfreezer5631]

Pell's "death" happened on a chapter that was released in november. If 9/11 was the reason, then Oda wouldn't have added the bomb plot line to begin with, and not just making Pell randomly survive but still showing the bomb and everything. That would have been just weird and meaningless. Pell being alive has likely nothing to do with 9/11

[@SpartanThrone]

@@lordfreezer5631 been a while since I've seen any discussion on it, looking now there only seems to be discussion without official statement from Oda. Timing does seem suspicious though, Oda has said he doesn't like it when deaths don't come from chars being thrown into desperate situations. A Nov release isn't too far out for it to be something he revised, perhaps considering growing popularity of his story worldwide and taking into consideration publisher wishes etc. Not saying it's good for the story, Pell's sacrifice should have been just that, but I can accept that a possible reason to let it go personally.

[@Maxpain350]

So you mentioned that the billions killed Mr 11 and then you said no one dies in one piece 🤣🤣 People die but also there are a lot of fake out deaths in one piece Two people died in the first chapter of one piece

[@leonel5908]

i really hope you like skypeia it is one of the most important arcs in the manga but people either love it or hate it, i personally find it amazing

[@desolateleng9943]

Seeing someone get into One Piece always makes me so happy, especially when it's someone who's making this kind of honest and thoughtful (and insightful) commentary. The paper will be explained, don't you worry! It's not going to happen very soon, but it will happen. The crew imitating each other is always the funniest, I agree. XD I LOVE the fights in One Piece. The Crocodile one is fantastic. I did not know what a trilogy in fighting was (I looked it up), but yeah, I think Oda excels at that (and similar) setups. Building towards the climax (and not just in fights). We all love Bon Clay! (Really Bon kure, which is is the name of the end of year festivals in Japan. He's both a man and a woman, so he has both the number, Mr 2, and the holiday, Bon kure. It's not his actual name!) The Pell fakeout is annoying, and most of the fandom agrees. Deaths are rare in One Piece, but most of the time it's not as bad as this example, and usually it's simply that characters are extremely resilient and can survive damage that really should be deadly to a human being. Like with Kohza, or Dalton in Drum. Examples like those are common, but in those cases I don't think we're really supposed to think they are dead. There is a handful of characters throughout the series who don't die in this disappointing way, though. One of my very few gripes with this series. It's still pretty much my favourite story of all time, haha. Your speculations are very interesting, and you're definitely on the right track with a lot of things. Yes, Hina speaks in the third person. She is weird. A lot of characters in One Piece have weird or unusual speech, but I don't think most of it carried over in the English translation (like how Zoro likes to use old fashioned, dignified, and dramatic expressions when he's serious, or how Sanji uses "shit" as a qualifier to everything the same way Americans use "fuck"). Nico Robin is one of my favourite characters, looking forward to you experiencing her story!

[@Iqnacio.]

Pells fake out death has even become somewhat of a meme in the community due to how bad it was so definitely no reason to feel awkward for not liking it. In fact, I would say that if you asked One Piece fans what's the biggest issue in the story, 9/10 times fake out deaths would be the answer, which doesn't mean it will happen in every single arc nor that all are as egregious as Pells, but when it comes to not liking them most of us are... probably on the same boat, although this also doesn't mean that there's no actual deaths, and you will definitely know it when those happen.