Reviving Ace Would Have Disastrous Consequences on One Piece’s Story, Even if Fans Really Want Him to Return

Death has always been an interesting concept in the One Piece universe, mainly because it never happens. More often than not, when characters are gravely injured or in mortal danger, no matter how serious their situation is, they will survive and continue to be a vital part of the story. Due to this, many fans have grown to hate the fact that no characters ever die in the series, stating that it takes the stakes out of any dangerous encounter the Straw Hats, or any other important characters, may face.

However, there have been a few actual character deaths throughout One Piece so far, with one of them being one of the most emotional deaths in the series; the death of Ace. While many fans were strangely happy to see an impactful death occur in the series, others were heartbroken seeing one of the best characters in the series being the one to die. Due to this, some fans hope that someday before the end of the series, Ace will be revived and will be reunited with his brothers.

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Ace’s Death Marked A Turning Point For Luffy And The Series

His Death Was A Shock That Changed One Piece

Since the early days of One Piece, although the series often deals with darker tones, the death of a character in the current story was never really one of them. Although there are plenty of times when characters supposedly died, they always ended up surviving, even if they never logically could have. For example, one of the worst examples of this trend is with Pell during the Alabasta Arc. After sacrificing himself and carrying away a massive bomb, Pell somehow managed to survive a giant explosion.

However, later on in the series, during the Marineford Arc, fans got a chance to see the permanent death of two major characters, Ace and Whitebeard. Particularly, Ace’s death, something that came very suddenly, was extremely shocking to witness. Unlike the deaths from earlier in the series, there was no feasible way implying that Whitebeard or Ace escaped their fate, as both died on screen in full view of the audience.

Could Ace Come Back To Life?

This Undo A Lot Of The Emotional Development Of The Series

• Killing Ace Was An Important Event In The Series
• Going Back On This Would Reinforce Some Of One Piece’s Worst Criticism

Despite being one of the most dramatic deaths in the series, and vital to Luffy’s development as a protagonist, some fans theorize that Ace may be revived before the end of the series. Mainly, these fans believe that a part of the One Piece treasure, or some other mystical element of Joy Boy and Laugh Tale, will give Ace a second chance at life, allowing the three brothers – Ace, Luffy, and Sabo – to be together once again. After this, these fans believe that the three brothers may become important figures in the new era of pirates that Luffy will most likely start.

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Of course, many other members of the community feel that reviving Ace would be one of the worst decisions One Piece could ever make. Mainly, Ace’s death was an important turning point in Luffy’s character, giving him a new level of emotional depth that fans haven’t seen before. However, reviving Ace would undo his development, allowing him to fall back on his more emotionally immature ways, especially since death would hardly seem like a consequence. Additionally, with Ace’s death being one of the only major deaths in the series, One Piece would feel even more like a show that lacks significant consequences for dangerous situations.

Giving Luffy A Final Conversation With Ace Could Be Okay

The One Piece Treasure Could Have The Power To Do Something Like This

A better way of handling this idea would be to give Luffy some way of communicating with his brother from beyond the grave. For example, if the One Piece treasure had the ability to give Luffy and Ace time to talk, it may create a heart-warming moment that wouldn’t cheapen his death. Still, it would definitely make Ace’s last words seem less impactful in the long run.

Still, with death already being a sore topic among fans, reviving Ace may very well be one of the worst things One Piece could do. While there are other options, it’s probably for the best to not bring Ace’s character back. In the end, Ace is one of the few reminders that death is an actual consequence in the One Piece world.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

• 

  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

• 

  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)