One Piece has some of the most unique designs for characters in all of anime. With strangely cartoonish body proportions, and staggering heights that push over 100 feet tall, characters appear with so many amazingly bizarre compositions. In many ways, this is one of the first things that sets One Piece apart from other series, acting as an initial way of sparking interest in the series.
With that being said, many fans have noticed that One Piece suffers from a bit of an issue, mainly surrounding female characters. As many have pointed out, a lot of female characters that are on the younger side are drawn almost exactly the same. Due to this, many fans believe that One Piece has far too many characters that look like exact clones of the navigator of the Straw Hat Crew, Nami.
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Many Female Characters In One Piece Look Like Nami
At The Same Time Many Don’t Look Like Nami As Well
As many fans have already pointed out, there are a handful of characters in One Piece that look suspiciously close to Nami. For example, when looking at the anime especially, Vivi’s face looks incredibly similar to Nami, with their hair being the main distinction that tells them apart. Other characters, such as Rebecca from One Piece’s Dressrosa Arc, Yamato, Koala, and Shirohoshi, despite having builds and outfits that are distinct from Nami, also seem to share her same facial structure as well.
If you think I’m just another cute girl, then you’re dead wrong! – Nami
On the flip side, being such a massive series with a humongous cast of amazing characters, One Piece also has a large number of important female characters that look nothing like Nami. The former Emperor, Big Mom, for example, has a completely different body type and face that looks nothing like Nami. Other characters, like Gloriosa, Smoothie, Lola, and many more, remain visually distinct from Nami.
Nami’s Design Is How Oda Draws A Certain Character Archetype
This Doesn’t Excuse Having Too Many Similar Characters
- Oda Draws A Certain Archetype Of Attractive Characters The Same Way
- He Also Tries To Make Them Visually Distinct
With that being said, it seems that when Oda is trying to draw a beautiful, young woman in One Piece, he tends to visualize something similar to Nami. Although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is true that any young female character in the world of One Piece is bound to look at least a little like Nami. Additionally, although their faces tend to look the same, having visually unique quirks, like Reiju having the iconic Vinsmoke eyebrows, helps keep characters that look similar, visually distinct.
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Additionally, trying to say that every female character in One Piece looks like Nami is too much of a generalization. While it’s okay to say a certain archetype of character definitely looks like Nami clones, there are plenty of women in One Piece that have unique builds and proportions, just like the male characters of the series. Although there is a large group of characters that share a face with Nami, it is far from the entire cast of characters that share this design pattern.
A Nami Clone Character Can Be A Bad First Impression
This Isn’t The Biggest Problem For The Series Though
While having so many characters share the same face can be a bit visually boring at times, the writing of these characters and their adventures throughout the story of One Piece are the things that should make them interesting. While visuals are important for an anime, the character’s design tends to be a first impression. Although this may lead to a bad first impression for many of the “Nami clone” characters, making them feel non-distinct or boring, their specific personalities help make them distinct from the Straw Hat navigator as well. While this doesn’t fix the issue of having a visually indistinct design, it, at the very least, helps prove that it isn’t the biggest issue that One Piece faces.
What good is treasure if I’m alone. – Nami
In the end, plenty of characters in One Piece look similar to Nami, though at the same time, plenty of characters don’t. While it may seem like a big issue to give a handful of characters the same face, other factors, such as clothes or distinct features, help set these “Nami clone” characters apart. Plus, it’s hard to tell just how similar these characters look without a side-by-side comparison. With that being said, being able to admit the faults of even a beloved series, even One Piece, is always healthy in the long run.
