Creating a story that is expanded between 1100+ chapters and is still going on has its own disadvantages. The series in discussion here is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. The narrative of the series has become so vast that a lot of things get left out, creating plot holes in the story.
The story of One Piece started in 1997 when the first chapter of the manga came out. It has been going on for the past 27 years, and it still has a few more arcs before it reaches the conclusion. Thus, taking note of each and every aspect of the story would be difficult even for someone like Oda. Naturally, he has left some plot holes in the series that he might have forgotten but fans still remember.
One of the biggest ones was the concept of bounty hunters. Bounty Hunters were one of the most significant professions in One Piece, but it became irrelevant after a few years, and ever since then, there has not been a single bounty hunter introduced in One Piece.
The Faded Concept of Bounty Hunters in One Piece
The concept of bounty hunters was introduced early on in One Piece. As fans know, Luffy’s first recruit, Roronoa Zoro, was also a bounty hunter. In fact, three members of the Straw Hat Pirates are connected to the concept of bounty hunters. These three are Zoro, Robin, and Franky. While Zoro and Franky were bounty hunters themselves, Robin was associated with Baroque Works, which was a bounty hunter organization.
Bounty hunters make a living by catching pirates and criminals who have a huge reward on their heads. They work solo and in groups, but are not commissioned by the government and can work on their own. Being a great bounty hunter brought a lot of fame and recognition, as seen with Zoro, who still carries the title of “Pirate Hunter.”
As the story of One Piece grew over time, the concept of bounty hunters faded away from the series. While there are still organizations like Cross Guild that work on a bounty, they are not at all like the ones that were introduced at the beginning of the series.
Eiichiro Oda Might Have Forgotten About Bounty Hunters
Keeping track of every little detail from the story that has been running for almost 30 years would be somewhat difficult, even for a great manga creator like Eiichiro Oda. However, no one expected him to forget about a concept as important as the bounty hunters.
Oda might have forgotten about them, but the fans haven’t. A recent discussion on X revealed that One Piece fanatics still remember the faded-away concept of bounty hunting in One Piece.
While some fans talked about the possibility of Oda bringing back bounty hunters, others simply accepted the fact that he might have just moved on from them.
#ONEPIECE
WHERE ARE THE BOUNTY HUNTERS??? https://t.co/MCLwrLaz2C pic.twitter.com/JvNgzx0Egg— 𝕃𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕪𝕡𝕖𝕕 ☄️ (@Luffyped) October 23, 2024
I dislike how they are barely any bounty hunters in this story it makes no sense
— Comb 𖥈 (@wildfireluffy) October 23, 2024
Imagine a well known bounty hunter for the side story. It didn’t need to be a top tier… But it’s too late to introduce them atp pic.twitter.com/2s5oQu6LlX
— 𝕃𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕪𝕡𝕖𝕕 ☄️ (@Luffyped) October 23, 2024
What if we got a spin off about a bounty hunter in Roger’s era
— Riley (@Rileyjgrb) October 23, 2024
zoro is gonna turn against luffy and hunt him down, after luffy becomes pirate king probably, 5+ billion bounty. thats why we not seeing any bounty hunters because zoro is taking them out, trust me zoro is still a bounty hunter and he will be the one turning luffy to marines
— Apo (@roronoapo) October 24, 2024
Although fans have developed a lot of theories about the return of bounty hunters in One Piece, it majorly depends on Oda and whether or not he still finds them relevant to the story or not. There is a big chance that he might introduce someone who is a bounty hunter and holds a lot of significance in One Piece.
One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
