Never Do That Again: Eiichiro Oda Confronts One Piece Editor for Burying Crucial Feedback

There has been a lot of chatter that Eiichiro Oda is tough on his editors and maybe not hearing them out like he used to. The reality sounds messier: there are stories that make Oda look both stubborn and surprisingly open. Here is what is actually out there, and what it might mean for One Piece as it barrels toward the finish.

Oda, candor, and the 2016 wake-up call

Back in 2016, the Great One Piece Newspaper ran an anecdote that keeps resurfacing. After a new chapter dropped, Oda asked his then-editor, Sugita, if anything in it felt off. Sugita admitted something did feel unnatural, but he had not flagged it beforehand. Oda, reportedly not thrilled, told him never to hold back again because the editor is his first line of defense.

'Don't you ever do that again! Editor's opinion is crucial. You're my first audience!'

The takeaway is not that Oda does not want notes. It is the opposite: he wants them early, blunt, and useful.

So why do people think editors will not push back now?

Because there is also a widely cited interview with Kazuhiko Torishima, the famed Dragon Ball editor, who said the One Piece editorial dynamic has changed over the years. In his view, editors these days cannot really disagree with Oda the way they could in the early days. That sounds worrying if you care about healthy creative friction.

To be fair, Torishima also praised Oda for the fire he brings to the work and for how strong he is at designing characters. So it is not a hit piece. It is more like: Oda is brilliant, but the checks and balances might not be what they once were.

Fans are split on all this. Some argue there is no universe where Oda does not want an honest editorial read. Others see the long-running success, the pressure, and the legend status and assume pushback naturally gets harder over time.

The endgame question

With One Piece heading toward its conclusion, this matters. Big finales usually benefit from people in the room who can say: this beats, that does not. If editors are walking on eggshells, that could blunt the landing. If they are not, great. The truth is we are all guessing from the outside.

Evidence Oda still trusts his editors

There is at least one strong data point on the trust side: when Sugita became Oda's editor, Oda reportedly told him the ending about seven hours into the job. Over the phone, he even checked that neither of them had anyone listening in before sharing. That is not something you do if you view your editor as a rubber stamp.

Quick recap

• 2016: In the Great One Piece Newspaper, Oda asks editor Sugita for post-release notes; when Sugita admits he held back earlier, Oda scolds him and stresses that the editor's honest opinion is vital.
• Later interview: Dragon Ball editor Kazuhiko Torishima says One Piece editors today cannot really disagree with Oda like they did early on, while also praising Oda's passion and character work.
• Fan reaction: Ongoing social media discourse swings between concern about muted pushback and confidence that Oda still wants unfiltered notes.
• Trust signal: Oda shared the series ending with Sugita roughly seven hours after Sugita took the job, privately, which suggests real editorial trust.

Where this leaves us

Both things can be true: Oda demands candor and the system around him has gotten more cautious. Whether that tension helps or hurts the final stretch is the big question. For now, we do not actually know what day-to-day looks like behind the curtain, so we wait and see.

If you want to catch up: all previously released One Piece manga chapters are on Viz Media, and the anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.