In One Piece, many different characters are bustling about, and you surely have a favorite. The mangaka Eiichiro Oda also revealed which of his creations he likes the most. Surprisingly, it is a rather insignificant character.
Which character is it? In an interview with Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball, both had to name their favorite character. Toriyama’s choice at the time was the Namekian Piccolo. Oda, on the other hand, provided a somewhat quirky answer:
I…? Of course, I like Luffy. But the character I like the most is Gimon. It’s hard to imagine anyone better than him. Just a man who has been stuck in a treasure chest for 20 years. I think that was a great idea too.
Eiichiro Oda, via thegrandline.com
Gimon is one of the first characters that Luffy encounters on his adventures. Unfortunately, he fell into a treasure chest and is stuck in it. The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates even wanted to have Gimon in his crew – but unfortunately, he declined.
Oda’s favorite character did not appear for over 20 years
What happened to Gimon? Since his appearance in chapter 22 of One Piece, which was released in 1998, Gimon has not been seen. He has been stuck on his island ever since and has not had any visitors from Luffy.
But we know through a small picture how Gimon is doing now. On the cover of chapter 620, he can be seen with a lady named Sarfunkel, who shares the same fate as he does – she is stuck in a barrel. The two are probably a couple or just good friends:
- On the manga cover, she feeds Gimon
- In One Piece Film: Red, they can be seen holding hands during a song by Uta
- In the Egghead Arc, they are briefly seen laughing and listening to Vegapunk’s broadcast
So Gimon is no longer alone with the animals of the island but has a human partner. It’s nice to see that he is doing well, even though he will probably not be part of the great finale of One Piece.
Is he still Oda’s favorite character? The interview in which Oda revealed his favorite character dates back to 2001. Unfortunately, there have been no further statements from him about whether his preference has changed since then. Numerous characters that have found a place in fans’ hearts have appeared since then.
By the way: The mangaka Eiichiro Oda never expected which character would become your fan favorite when he created a certain pirate group. Unfortunately, he regrets today having created so many members: 2 pirate groups are responsible for One Piece having over 1,000 episodes – “I regret it a little”
