The Bizarre Character Oda Prefers Over Any Straw Hat Pirate

With more than a thousand chapters and episodes, One Piece is never lacking in featuring the most bizarre and eccentric characters. From a clown pirate to an assassin dressed in baby clothes to a flamboyant ballerina, One Piece boasts a vast list of unique characters loved by many fans around the world.

Among them, series creator Eiichiro Oda surprisingly revealed one bizarre character he prefers over any other Straw Hat Pirate. This character appeared early on in Monkey D. Luffy’s journey, but they are still relevant, alive, and kicking to this day. While the Straw Hats are in Elbaf now, this character could be living their life away from the noise and chaos.

Eiichiro Oda Prefers Gaimon Over Any Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece

Oda Likes Luffy But Gaimon Beats Him

• Eiichiro Oda likes Luffy, but his favorite character is Gaimon.
• Eiichiro Oda likes Gaimon because of his story.

It’s not unusual for manga creators to prefer a different character over the headline hero, and One Piece is no exception. No wonder Eiichiro Oda has his personal favorite that’s not Monkey D. Luffy or any of the iconic members of the Straw Hat Pirates. While most One Piece fans would name Luffy, Zoro, or Sanji as their bias, Oda would choose Gaimon in a heartbeat.

For those who forgot Gaimon, he was the first retired pirate whom Luffy, Nami, and Zoro met in all of One Piece. He appeared as a castaway in East Blue, looking like a “cauliflower-head,” according to Luffy, on the island of Rare Animals that was inhabited by strange creatures. He is also infamous for his unfortunate situation, having been trapped in a treasure chest for decades due to his greed.

According to Eiichiro Oda, Gaimon is the One Piece character he likes the most, even more than Luffy himself. What appeals most to Oda is Gaimon’s “amazing setup,” making it harder to think of anyone better than him. To new One Piece fans, this surprising revelation may sound absurd, but this proves that even side characters like Gaimon and his fleeting encounter with Luffy and the Straw Hats occupy a big place in Oda’s heart.

Eiichiro Oda Initially Put Gaimon In a Barrel

One Piece Fans Could Have Received a Different Gaimon

In the same discussion with Dragon Ball’s Akira Toriyama contained in the One Piece artbook, Color Walk 1, Eiichiro Oda also confirmed that Gaimon was supposedly trapped in a barrel instead of a treasure chest. He could have looked like a castaway cargo, losing his entire existence, which has truly become a parable of the man who, unfortunately, chased empty treasure chests and was consumed by them.

Fortunately, Gaimon’s design somehow evolved, but the creator of One Piece had no idea how Gaimon ended up with his final look. Most likely, Oda went with the flow of his rough sketches and ideas until they naturally evolved into the current Gaimon. The same might also be true of Oda’s other characters, as he tends to develop characters based on what he’s thinking in the heat of the moment.

Gaimon, being trapped in a treasure chest, has been truly iconic. There was never a dull moment in Luffy’s encounter with Gaimon, and so it was with Buggy, whose chaotic antics and unfortunate story still keep fans entertained. If only Gaimon had accepted Luffy’s offer to become his fourth crew member, he could have been traveling the high seas once more.

Where Is Gaimon in One Piece Now?

Gaimon Is Living Peacefully With Sarfunkel

The Straw Hat Pirates have come a very long way since their encounter with Gaimon on the Island of Rare Animals. One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, but Gaimon is still alive and kicking on the island, along with the strange creatures living with him. He still acts as their guardian, likely driving off poachers and pirates alike to protect the creatures he treasures the most.

As shown in One Piece chapter 1119, titled Emeth, Gaimon was having a blast with Sarfunkel on the Island of Rare Animals, while the rest of the world tuned in to the all-important broadcast of Dr. Vegapunk about a catastrophic future global event. It’s unknown when or how Oda will give Gaimon more relevance, but knowing the chest-man is his favorite character gives fans hope that he might return sometime in the future.

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

Writers

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)