Being one of the mysterious characters in One Piece, Dracule Mihawk has earned the title of “Hawk Eyes” due to the concentrating ring around each pupil of his eyes. Eiichiro Oda crafted his design very carefully, making his hawk-like eyes his distinctive features. However, by altering this vital feature, the anime adaptation has quite lost its essence in portraying Mihawk’s persona.
Mihawk’s eyes were depicted as red in the original One Piece manga. Yet, Toei’s animated adaptation often designs his eyes in yellow. This inconsistency has sparked confusion and frustration among fans, leading many to question why such a key detail in Mihawk’s design has been misrepresented.
Toei Animation’s Confusing Depiction of Dracule Mihawk’s Eyes
Dracule Mihawk made an unforgettable debut as a pirate hunter with an air of mystery early in the One Piece series during the Baratie Arc. Fans were instantly captivated by his elegant style and his ferocious, hawk-like gaze. With his sharp features, cross-shaped sword, and especially his piercing red eyes, Mihawk’s design played a crucial role in portraying his character.
Eiichiro Oda had particularly emphasized Mihawk’s eyes in the manga, and the Official Coloring guides also followed suit. For a character with such a fearsome aura, this detail in his eyes became an integral part of his overall image.
However, despite Oda’s clear intention, Toei Animation has altered Mihawk’s design in the anime adaptation. In the anime version, Mihawk’s eyes are often portrayed as yellow, which drastically changes his aura. Fans have been baffled by this inconsistency for years, particularly, those who are familiar with the original manga artwork.
This change has persisted throughout several seasons and arcs. This has led fans to speculate whether it’s a mistake, a deliberate choice, or just a change in the decision for the sake of the plot.
Fans’ Reactions to Toei Animation’s Blunder
The inconsistency between Eiichiro Oda‘s original design for Mihawk and Toei’s adaptation of One Piece has been a point of frustration among fans. Due to his mysterious and ferocious personality, many believe that the red eyes are suited more for the solitary pirate. It has led to disappointment among fans who think that Toei Animation has failed to capture this element by changing its design.
But the question still remains as to why Toei Animation has stuck with their different design for Mihawk. One possibility is that Toei intentionally changed the color to yellow to create a visual contrast on the screen. Or, another possibility is that they first designed his yellow eyes without knowing the official coloring, and now they are not correcting it.
There are already many conspiracy theories about Mihawk’s eye color, even connecting him with Imu for their similar ring-like yellow eyes. However, these theories may be far-fetched, but given that there’s no possible explanation for the changing design, there may have been some hidden reasons for this alteration.
Ultimately, the mystery surrounding Mihawk’s changing eye color still remains. Only time will tell whether this issue will be properly addressed or not.
One Piece is currently available to watch and read on Crunchyroll and Viz Media, respectively.
