“He watched Roger’s execution, was inspired”: A Hated One Piece Character Has an Underrated Journey That Many Fans Ignore
Eiichiro Oda is undoubtedly a mastermind when it comes to creating and structuring his characters for his incredibly popular anime and manga series, One Piece. Having over 1000+ characters in the franchise, Oda has successfully managed to make each character unique in their own way.
However, given that there are over a thousand characters in the franchise, Some characters didn’t seem to sit too well with a section of the audience. A Reddit post sparked a discussion as it picked on the captain of the Thriller Bark Pirates, Gecko Moria. However, a majority of the fandom seemed to think otherwise.
One Piece fandom comes in defense of Gecko Moria over a Reddit post
Gecko Moria was the main antagonist of the Thriller Bark Arc as the captain of the pirate crew of the same name. Despite what some fans might say about the character, Gecko Moria was one of the most interesting characters in the series. Being one of the first wave of pirates who set sail to become the Pirate King and find the One Piece treasure after being present in the execution of none other than Gol D. Roger.
Moria was once one of the 7 warlords of the sea and even went toe to toe with who is known as the strongest creature in the One Piece-verse, Kaido. However, this is where his decline would start as the Kage Kage no Mi user would spiral into depression after losing a majority of his crewmates in his fight against Kaido.
The Moria that viewers witnessed in the Thriller Bark arc is a shadow of his former self. However, despite this Moria is one of the most well-written characters in the series. And when a Reddit user posted his thoughts explaining why Gecko Moria was the most hated character in One Piece, a majority of the fandom came in support of the former Warlord.
Gecko Moria despite not being the most likable character in the franchise, still has moments where fans can really relate and connect to the character. But why can’t fans help but root for the captain of the Thriller Bark?
Greko Moria’s role in One Piece
Gecko Moria, the eccentric captain of the Thriller Bark Pirates, might not be the strongest pirate in the Grand Line, but his reign over Thriller Bark and his mastery over shadows left a lasting impression on the One Piece fans.
Moria’s greatest accomplishment, if somewhat twisted, was building his own island kingdom. Thriller Bark, shrouded in an eerie fog and crawling with his zombie minions, became a testament to his devil fruit power and ambition. He used his Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit) to not only create an army of undead Kage Bushis (Shadow Doubles) but also manipulate the entire island, turning it into a dark playground fueled by shadows.
Moria wasn’t just a showman, though. He possessed a cunning strategic mind. His plan to steal the shadows of powerful individuals, granting him near-immortality, displayed a ruthless ambition that could have drastically shifted the power balance of the Grand Line. Given that he managed to capture the shadows of legendary characters such as Ryuma and also crew members of the Rocks Pirates just shows his potential before his downfall.
However, Moria’s true strength wasn’t in brute force but in his mastery of the shadows. He pushed his devil fruit abilities to their limits, not only controlling shadows with precision but also absorbing a ridiculous amount of them to transform into a monstrous giant. While this form lacked finesse, it did showcase the immense power he could wield.
You can stream the One Piece series on Crunchyroll.
