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Compared to the incredibly massive franchise that it is today, the early stages ofOne Piecefeel like an entirely different story. With a fairly different tone and direction,One Piecehas grown so much from its humble origins in the East Blue. In fact, some fans of the series prefer the smaller and more personal tones from the beginning ofOne Piece, compared to the high-stakes action that the series focuses on nowadays.
However, no matter how fondly fans remember the early episodes ofOne Piece, there are a few strange elements that took some time to iron out before the series could hit its stride. One of these details includesOda’s early art style. Although his work has always been incredibly unique and well-drawn, some fans found the ears of earlyOne Piececharacters to be a bit disconcerting.
This Unique Style Took Some Time To Get Consistent
Although Oda’s art style in the modern chapters ofOne Pieceis fairly consistent, in the early stages of the series, a few details, mainly relating to the proportions of characters and their features, still needed a bit of work. Although, as many fans already know,One Piecehas a distinct art stylewhen it comes to the proportions of characters, these strange drawings of characters seem to go beyond this. In some ways, these strange features feel more like an anatomical error, as opposed to a stylistic choice.
I’ll become the devil of the Blue Sea! - Sanji
For example, many fans have cited that earlyOne Piececharacters have ears that are far too low on their heads, resting on their necks rather than on the side of their faces. Additionally, some fans have also pointed out that the feet ofearlyOne Piececharactersare strangely large compared to their bodies, even for characters that are supposed to have relatively normal proportions. Although these choices aren’t necessarily a bad thing for characters who are supposed to have bizarre body shapes, for a character, like Nami and Sanji, who are supposed to have a standard anime-character design, these details can stand out too much for their own good.
Early Ears In One Piece Were In Strange Spots
Sanji’s Ears Were The Most Egregious Example
One scene in particular from both the manga and the anime that fans have cited as being the worst example of this phenomenon is when the series shares a side profile view oftheOne Piecechef, Sanji. In this screenshot from the anime, Sanji’s ear, rather than coming from the side of his head, through his hair, actually starts from the side of his jaw, originating from under his cheekbone. Additionally, the ear itself also appears to be coming from behind the back of his cheek as well, nowhere near the normal spot.
Although some may view this strange ear placement on the Straw Hat crew member inOne Pieceas a style choice, the placement of Sanji’s ears is in the traditional spot later in the series. Overall, the strange placement of ears inthe East Blue Saga ofOne Piececould have been one of two things; a failed style choice that didn’t work, or an anatomical error. However, considering how many other characters, despite being less egregious than the Sanji example, have strangely positioned ears, it seems like it was a style choice that Oda was going for that he didn’t like too much overall.
This Was A Result Of The Series' Growing Pains
Mistakes Are A Necessary Part Of Growth
Still, though these details are fairly obvious when closely scrutinized, overall, the placement of the ears on characters in earlyOne Pieceseems fairly normal when seen only at a glance. In fact, it seems liketheOne Piecefanbasewould never notice the strange detail unless someone were to specifically call attention to the odd detail. Overall, the placement of the ears inOne Pieceisn’t an egregiously bad mistake, but more of a small and weird example of the series’ growing pains. While the ears are still low in modernOne Piece, it doesn’t look as strange as it did before.
Cooking is a gift from the God’s, spices are gifts from the devil. Looks like it was a little too spicy for you. - Sanji
In the end, ears used to be a bit weird inthe early stages ofOne Piece. With odd placement on characters that are supposed to have the typical proportions of an anime character, theseOne Pieceears were definitely a bit disconcerting before they were corrected. However, this shouldn’t be thought of as a bad thing, as every series, evenOne Piece, has to grow and evolve to become something greater, fixing and learning from their mistakes.
