Highlights
- Oda’s ability to foreshadow events and create intricate backstories transforms characters in One Piece.
- Kozuki Oden’s rise from fixing a lawless land to becoming one of Wano’s biggest heroes is truly magnificent.
- Trafalgar Law’s tragic past and his journey for a cure shows his resilience and determination.
One of Oda’s greatest strengths is his ability to foreshadow future events years before they happen in the story. Oda also has the skill to write intricate backstories, which can completely transform a character.
There are lots of examples in One Piece where a character has changed completely after the author revealed their backstory to the readers. The complicated pasts of these characters shaped their personalities and goals. However, not every backstory is worthy of being called the best. There are only a handful that can leave the audience mesmerized.
5 Kozuki Oden
Wano’s Finest Export
Kozuki Oden is the greatest samurai to hail from Wano. Often considered unhinged and carefree, Oden was actually an incredible individual with a strong desire to explore the world. But before he set out on his adventure, Oden fixed the lawless land of Kuri all by himself. He earned the respect and admiration of many people. A handful of them began following Oden everywhere, and they ended up becoming his retainers.
Oden traveled with not just Whitebeard but with Roger as well. While journeying with the latter, Oden found the Laugh Tale and learned about the Void Century. When he came back to Wano, he was tricked and humiliated by Orochi and Kaido. However, Oden took all the insults because he thought it would help his people.
When he found out the truth, Oden fought Kaido and would have defeated him if not for Higurashi’s underhanded play. Kaido sentenced Oden and his retainers to be boiled alive. But Oden still had fire left in him. At the time of punishment, he asked his retainers to get on top of a lid while he stood in the boiling oil. Oden’s mental resilience helped him withstand the brutal punishment, and Kaido was so frustrated that he shot him. His rise from a pariah to one of the biggest heroes of Wano was truly magnificent.
4 Brook
Sailed All By Himself For Years
Brook sailed with the Rumbar Pirates for a very long time. The crew was not the most powerful, but they were happy. Unfortunately, their time came to an end when another crew attacked and poisoned the entire crew. Brook and his crew members used the opportunity to play one last song.
As they kept singing one by one, they succumbed to the poison until Brook was the only one remaining. He also died, but his devil fruit brought him back to life. He was devastated to see his friends dead, but he had no other option but to sail on the ship alone for several decades. Things got worse for him after he landed on Thriller Bark and had his shadow stolen. He was powerless, and he couldn’t do anything to retrieve it. This changed when he met the Straw Hat Pirates, who helped him.
3 Trafalgar Law
Sole Survivor Of A Tragedy
Trafalgar Law is one of the members of the Worst Generation. He was the captain of the Heart Pirates, and under his leadership, the crew became known throughout the world. However, things were not always easy for him. Born in the city of Flevance, Law had everything a person could want: loving parents and a sweet sister. Things were going well for them until the Amber Lead disease began to spread throughout the city. Law lost his parents and his sister, and he got out of the city under a pile of bodies.
He joined Doflamingo’s crew, but Rosinante saw the good in him and took him away on a journey to find the cure for his disease. Ultimately, Rosinante decided to steal the Ope Ope no Mi, feed it the Law, and hope that he would find a way to cure himself. However, this action cost him dearly, as he was shot by Doflamingo, his own brother. After a while, Law left his hiding spot and started walking away with tears rolling down his cheeks. Law suffered plenty, but he never forgot Rosinante’s kindness and even tried to avenge his death.
2 Nico Robin
The Demon Child
Nico Robin is the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates. She was born in Ohara, a place known for its scholars. They were very curious, which is why they delved into the forbidden. They tried to decipher the Poneglyphs, and the World Government eventually found out about them. The organization wasted no time in sending forces to execute them.
All the people of Ohara died brutally, with the sole exception of Nico Robin, who escaped thanks to Saul and Aokiji. Robin spent the rest of her childhood running from one household to another as they tried to hand it over to the World Government in exchange for money. She struggled a lot, but she never gave up. For years, she felt that she was unlovable and would have no friends.
1 Bartholomew Kuma
Greatest Hero In One Piece
Bartholomew Kuma was responsible for changing the entire world with his actions, but fans only came to know about it and the Egghead arc. From his childhood, Kuma knew nothing but pain and misery. When he finally found someone who loved him, the horrible Celestial Dragons interfered. Then Kuma found Bonney and he raised her like his own daughter.
When she exhibited the signs of an incurable illness, Kuma traveled everywhere in the hope of finding a cure. When he eventually came across one, he had to sacrifice his own sense of individuality, and he did that happily. He helped the poor and needy and put his own body through an immense amount of pain. He even rebelled against the army of a nation just to protect the innocent.
Kuma also helped the Straw Hats get away from Sabaody because he believed that Luffy could be the savior of the world. Despite suffering so much, Kuma never strayed from his ideology and continued to help people whenever possible. So it is safe to say that Kuma’s backstory is the best in One Piece.
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