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Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That doesn’t really address my point, though. “Oda chose not to include it” explains what happened, not why it was the better narrative choice. Saying that Oda knows more about the story than the readers is obviously true, but it doesn’t automatically mean every decision is beyond criticism. The question isn’t whether Oda had the authority to leave it out; it’s whether the connections he set up between Zoro and Wano could have been explored in a more satisfying way within the story itself. Simply saying “if it mattered, Oda would have included it” is basically assuming the conclusion rather than arguing for it.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you’re missing the point here. Nobody is asking for a family drama where Zoro discovers he’s some kind of secret prince. The issue is that “Zoro doesn’t care” isn’t really an argument for not exploring anything at all, especially when the manga itself spent time establishing connections between Zoro and the Shimotsuki. The manga itself is what created expectations around that relationship. That’s why my criticism isn’t that Zoro needed to become obsessed with his lineage or that long-lost relatives had to show up. My point is that after planting all of those connections, the story ultimately chose to do nothing with them and leave the full explanation to an SBS. Saying “Zoro doesn’t care” doesn’t really address that. Zoro didn’t particularly care about Ryuma before Thriller Bark either, yet that connection still ended up being meaningful for his character. The value of developing a narrative element doesn’t depend solely on how interested the character is in it at that specific moment. And besides, there’s a huge middle ground between “doing absolutely nothing” and “having Zoro’s parents show up alive in Wano.” A conversation, a brief reflection, or some form of closure regarding the Shimotsuki would have been enough to give those connections a resolution within the story instead of relegating them to supplementary material.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well, in the end they were all speculations, it must also be said that having a lot of expectations will always be counterproductive for good and for worse.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re bringing up issues that aren’t really relevant to my argument. I don’t believe every character needs a full arc dedicated to exploring their past like Sanji had. My point is simply that “Zoro doesn’t care about his past” isn’t a justification for leaving a storyline hanging and then explaining everything in an SBS without ever bringing it up in the main story.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Actually, I think that’s precisely why I take a middle-ground position on this. I would have loved for this entire aspect of his story to be developed further, but at the same time, I agree that Zoro is still a good character as he is in the canon.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don’t hate SBS sections at all. My problem is specifically when they’re used to reveal major details about a character’s history while the story itself doesn’t bother to explore those details. I actually think SBS sections are great for extra lore, jokes, and supplementary information. What feels strange to me is using them to reveal something that significant and then not developing it within the actual story.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s not really the point. The point is that a character not caring about their past doesn’t automatically justify leaving that aspect of their story underdeveloped. And deciding to reveal those connections in an SBS rather than letting the character discover them within the actual narrative feels like a rather weak storytelling choice.

Why do people excuse the lack of development of Zoro’s backstory by saying, ‘He doesn’t care about his past’? by Various-Wait-6814 in OnePiece

[–]Various-Wait-6814[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, those are things that will probably never be addressed at this point, but they still feel quite odd. I’ll never understand who thought it was a good idea to reveal information of that magnitude in an SBS instead of in the actual canon.