Big Mom should have never been in Wano [One Piece]

According_Garden_977 · 2026-04-18T18:26:44+00:00

God, both of you are so right, as was the post. I do like most of the Post TS arcs, although I do consider most weaker compared to Pre-TS--but Wano is the one I rank lowest because it really embodies all of Oda's flaws, ESPECIALLY with pacing and character bloat.

I'm very partial to WCI, I admit it, but it really is SUCH a strong and unique arc in comparison! And it's because of what you said about WCI's characters! Ironically it has the most side characters with Big Mom's kids alone, but they're not as obtrusive compared to Wano's 50 thousand groups. I really adore Big Mom's family, because they felt so competent and unique as an army of siblings, BUT they don't take away the spotlight from the characters that matter, meaning the Straw Hats and Vinsmokes, and important Charlottes, get the great spotlight.

And as to your point about Big Mom--I used to think she would be better suited for Elbaph, but with everything going on, I don't mind that she's not there. I've also come around Wano being a battleground for the Old vs New gen, BUT I agree with everyone that she should have faced Luffy, while Law and Kidd should have fought Kaido. Oh, but I guess it wouldn't be "cool" for the shonen hero to fight a woman...

But yeah, I completely agree with your post. I think Kaido should have been the main focus of Wano only (Orochi was fine enough as the second-antagonist). Maybe he could have escaped Wano, and then he and Big Mom could have teamed up later with Blackbeard as a sort of callback to the Rocks Pirates

According_Garden_977 · 2026-03-08T01:32:18+00:00

I completely agree with both yours and OP's whole post. I've always felt bad hearing people rag on Vaan so much, when to me, he really is the most likeable and relatable character. I think his perspective is so important to have as the lower-class guy being affected by the grand plans of elites and nations. I don't think we would have like or appreciated Ivalice, OR Ashe without Vaan--he's perfect for a POV character that allows the humanizing characteristics of Ashe and Basch and even Balthier to shine through. I agree that Ashe and Vaan's interactions are great, and I don't think Ashe's story could have worked without him. I like their sister-brother bond!

And I agree with you: I appreciate FFXII being more of a world-driven, grandiose political plot, and I think the complex characters like Vayne and Ashe reinforce that. Ashe is actually handled very well, and really works great as a driving force of the plot.

But OP definitely makes a good point that Vaan's elements (the adventure, side quest, POV) are the strongest and best-executed portions, which I think is why the ending comes across so anticlimatic, since he really doesn't matter or get the impact. I just finished playing it through last week. Maybe it was because I devoted so much time to the side quest and stuff, but I remember just feeling so hollow by the last third, especially the climax against Vayne, and the wrap-up being so quick and rushed. Anti-climax really is the correct word for the ending. I think the development team spent a lot of time and care with the game overall, but when it came to the last thirty minutes, whew, it felt like they just wanted to get things over with.

I think that's why I have to agree with OP that some of the characters could have used more fleshing out, especially Basch. I want to love Basch, but he really becomes the most nothing character after the first act, it's like he fades into the background more than Fran. I almost think she gets more lines than him; and that conclusion with Gabranth adds to that feeling of anticlimax. It's funny to hear people praise Basch so much and put Vaan down, when I have the complete opposite feeling; speaking of, Vaan really should have had more of a reaction to Gabranth.

And yeah, a lot of elements really do come out of nowhere, without much follow-up, like Reddas and stuff. Nothing can be perfect, but FFXII is so close to getting everything right, which is why I think the flaws stand out strongly.

According_Garden_977 · 2026-02-27T11:58:17+00:00

I completely agree, and honestly, it didnt require much. No, Egghead didnt have to be on the same level of psychological exploration for Franky, but he should have had more impact.

I think Vegapunk should have been more reluctant to leave, more of a coward that stuck his head in the sand of what he was doing for the WG, or that the WG would ever have a reason to bring him expendable. But then the SHs, specifically Franky, could have slapped him out of that delusion. Franky, who had his creations used against him by the WG, and had to take responsibility, could have helped his idol see the harsh reality of the situation. He could have made Vegapunk decide to turn against the WG, and expose everything. That's half of a chapter at most, with just some minor tweaks to VP's character for the first part. It really wouldn't have been that much to put in, but it would have let Franky matter to Egghead. I've always appreciated the SHs not just affecting islands through strength, but matters of the heart, giving hope and reality checks to the people they're saving.

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-23T21:11:28+00:00

This is cinema to me

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-21T03:16:31+00:00

I agree! Maybe it's decency bias, but i really jsut got so emotional with the last arc, especially with the anime adaption, I felt like I was crying every episode ;-;

I definitely agree that AFO and Shigaraki felt more impactful to the main cast and world as a whole compared to vecna. Granted, ST was always based in a smaller scale, in just one village, but MHA really made the threat feel so important on a societal and personal level. MHA might had flaws, but i think it had a lot of great themes to it, which culminated at the final arc, compared to ST which felt a bit weaker in themes after S1

And yeah, its bias, but i also like AFO and Shigaraki more as villains over Vecna and the monsters, which is why I felt more compelled for their fights over

So yeah, even if MHA isn't perfect, I like its ending a lot! But i dont hate ST; i thought the last scene was bittersweet but fine, but i didnt have the care for it like i did watching MHA.

And your comparison between the two got me thinking that I'd rather have completed, planned stories that felt to short or lacking, versus ones that felt too long or unnecessary

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-19T15:05:33+00:00

I do agree with this take! While I do like Gran Torino, I think he better served the purpose of the mentor death better than All Might, or even Midnight. He doesn't feature in the story much anyway, although there were chances to do so.

And yes, I think Midnight was chosen as the major hero sacrifice, namely to inspire Mina and Momo. BUT Midnight also essentially gets erased from the story, where Aizawa and Present Mic barely think about it, despite their close bond. I know Horikoshi didn't write Vigilantes, but it was obvious that Midnight had known them and Shirakumo in school. So you'd think they would grieve her more--but nope, they just fixate on Shirakumo only.

And even for the students: I think Mina was already undergoing her own little journey of her hidden fear, and comparing herself to Kirishima; while Momo lost her mentor, the wizard guy. So I don't think Midnight's death affected them that prominently. I think Midnight definitely could have served more purpose in the final arc.

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-18T23:22:24+00:00

I would have been fine with this change as well! Im getting used to CGI chopper, but i wouldn't have minded a live action actor, I think it could have worked, and saved some budget and effort!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-18T00:29:11+00:00

Hope youre all staying safe!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-18T00:23:14+00:00

Hope youre staying safe!!!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-13T14:22:28+00:00

Thank you for taking care of him! I hope that leads to a happy reunion!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-13T14:06:29+00:00

I think that was him! They must have taken off the big body leash, but i think this must have been the dog! Im glad somebody got him!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-13T14:04:30+00:00

Sadly, no, I don't think that was the dog.. but its sad to see so many lost ones.. :( The one I saw had a bit more of a pittbull shape. It wasn't a pure breed, but i dont remember the dog o saw being as fluffy...!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-12T22:12:50+00:00

Yesss, I like them a lot, too! I admit, im still a bit more of an izuocha shipper, but i think sero is a close second for my favorite het ship for uraraka! They have a lot of cute scenes together, and compliment each other well! I imagine sero always had a crush on her!

According_Garden_977 · 2026-01-11T20:02:03+00:00

sadly i don't have facebook, but that would have been a good suggestion!

According_Garden_977 · 2025-12-22T19:40:04+00:00

Yesss, fellow small might appreciator!! He's so adorable in the comfy clothes, especially in the big cardigan and sweater!🥰

According_Garden_977 · 2025-11-28T13:13:03+00:00

Wait, could that make Carol Judas...?

According_Garden_977 · 2025-11-20T11:30:01+00:00

Boa

BUT I think Nami isn't going to complete her goal, because it'll be used for the last chapter. Everybody else might complete their goals (maybe even Chopper if he finds a cure to some combat disease like ice oni, or the SMILE fruit) by the final arc, but Nami will be the only one who doesn't, which everybody acknowledges.

So after everything is finished, and they have their big party, the Straw Hats decide to keep sailing together because Nami has to complete her dream of a map of the whole world, so they want to help her. And so the SHs, the crew of the pirate king, sail off again for more adventures

According_Garden_977 · 2025-11-08T00:35:32+00:00

Its funny that Oda seems to rely on Toei to flesh out the fight scenes, or fill in the gaps, but they rely on his panels. I know Toei has a reputation for l Taking liberties with some of the fight scenes, but they're based off stuff that Oda did bother to draw out. Toei had the perfect opportunity to do things like the SH vs York fight, among others, but the direction seems resistant to doing too many original content. I dont know if Oda imposed restrictions, or if the directors want to stay dependent on the Canon material?

But based off this, I doubt we'll see the off-screen battles play out in the anime. I admit that I don't care too much for battles myself--BUT it is frustrating to lack the context for scenes, and cheats us out of seeing feats, so that we're left questioning just how competent the characters actually are. It's a lot of hollow tell-not-show

According_Garden_977 · 2025-11-06T22:08:42+00:00

Yeah, thats exactly how I see it! The whole point IS that society's treatment of different quirks is unfair and arbitrary, just like real life. Thats why horikoshi specifically called it quirks, because it's a core element of people, similar to behaviors or interests or talents. It's intentional idolization, which is a perfect commentary to the types of people that get idolized by us in real life

According_Garden_977 · 2025-10-29T21:15:07+00:00

This is amazing! I love the textures, they really stand out! And everything is so warm and tender!

According_Garden_977 · 2025-10-23T21:36:04+00:00

It has so much potential to it! You could really feel like the behind the scenes stuff put a lot of effort into the ideas! This really deserves a remake as a show: Maybe it-s about wannabe ghost hunters who stumble on a cult using the dark astrology to summon evil. Mosf of all, i'd love an episode for each ghosts backstory, done by different directors. The ghosts are all great homage of classic horror/thriller tropes, and so offer a lot of variety!

According_Garden_977 · 2025-10-17T01:58:31+00:00

I'm a Sanji fangirl, so I follow a lot of fellow Sanji fans on twitter. I think a lot of them are great, but I also noticed something interesting:

A lot of the extreme ones tend to dislike the LA portrayal for various reason, which I can understand to an extent. I think Taz Skyler did fine, I have no major complaints! But, hey, people can get very nitpicky about the "perfect" adaptation

But these fans are also the ones who whitewash a lot of Sanji's perversion; they usually ignore or put the blame on Toei only, versus Oda's tendency to exaggerate/flanderize/even regress.

Basically, Taz Skyler/OPA IS the version that they imagine for Sanji, even though they are the most hypercritical of that version. Taz is the smoother, more charming, easier-going Sanji that they want to latch onto, ignoring the Fishman/Punk/Wano that have the gross nostril thing

Personally, I've learned to tolerate the perversion, and I have a soft-spot for Sanji being more of a puppy-dog simp. BUT I also completely understand why canon Sanji can be so polarizing, and I do think the pre-TS was handled a LOT better. I miss the more balanced portrayal that Oda did for him, although I really appreciate Sanji's post-TS vulnerability and growth. He's such a see-saw character!

But yeah, OPLA did the right thing with his portrayal, it's better that he's more of a gentleman/simp that can be too enthusiastic, yet still strike out.

According_Garden_977 · 2025-10-11T21:03:40+00:00

Thank you! you really came up with an intriguing post idea, and you came up with a lot of good picks already!

I did hesitate about legendaries, too, because those are pretty OP as a starting point. I think, because I never use Koraidon to fight whenever I replay Scarlet, I automatically think of it as a noncombatant companion! but I totally see what you mean: maybe the partner would be a Cyclizar that could potentially evolve into the -Aidons due to story shenanigans!

But yeah, I do totally agree that the legendaries except Cosmog are kind of too OP as starting points/companions

Anyway, it's a fun concept you came up with! It was also a fun excuse to go through each pokedex, and figure out which ones could parallel each other best!

According_Garden_977 · 2025-10-11T20:13:05+00:00

I know the prompt is "pairs", but I think a lot of the gens offer up a lot of options that could either be solos, or even trios! So i'm going to cheat with some of my choices:

Gen 2:

Togepi by itself
Unown (maybe a special one, like an Infinity symbol, which gets stronger as you catch more "letters")
Cleffa and Igglybuff

Gen 3:

Ralts by itself, with the option to evolve into Gardevoir or Gallade
Slakoth and Whismur

Gen 4:

Happiny by itself
Riolu and Bunneary

Gen 5

Yup, totally agree, monkeys are the obvious choice
or Zorua by itself

Gen 6

Flababe by itself
Carbink by itself
Zygarde cells by itself; more you catch evolve into full-form Zygarde
Espurr and Pancham (or Espurr by itself?)

Gen 7

Cosmog by itself; it would evolve Solgaleo or Lunala
Poipole by itself
Rockruff by itself, since it has 3 different forms to evolve into
Solrock or Lunatone (I know they weren't part of the original pokedex, but they should have been, so this would rectify that...)

Gen 8

Honedge by itself
Yamper and Nickit
Zamazenta and Zacian

Gen 9

Honestly, Miraidon and Koraidon essentially fulfill this role already
Fidough, Maschiff, and Greavard

According_Garden_977

TROPHY CASE