The Japanese city of Kumamoto has erected several bronze statues of pirates from One Piece in recent years, who have joined the Straw Hat crew. The residents consider this a waste of tax money. However, when they learn the reason, the complaints suddenly decrease.
What kind of statues are these? The city of Kumamoto established a total of 10 statues from 2016 to 2022. There is a statue for each of the Straw Hat pirates, which are distributed throughout the city.
You can see all the figures in the following tweet from CheeseyPokemon:
The statues are tailored to each character and reflect their personality. For example, Sanji is serving a plate of food, while Nami is sitting on a treasure chest full of gold.
The figures are a tourist attraction and draw some One Piece fans to Kumamoto. However, the residents complained that the figures were a waste of tax money (via sandman_AP, X). When they found out what these statues were for, they became more subdued.
Check out the trailer for One Piece Film: Gold here:
One Piece Statues are a Tribute to the Manga Artist
Why were the statues erected? The One Piece statues were erected in honor of Eiichiro Oda. The manga artist was born in Kumamoto and still has a deep connection to his hometown.
However, the statues were not built just like that, but due to a donation from the manga artist: In 2016, there were devastating earthquakes in the region. 273 people were killed in the earthquakes. Moreover, many houses were destroyed (via Sage Journals).
To help his hometown rebuild, the manga artist donated an amount equivalent to about 4.7 million euros. He also wrote some messages and drew pictures for local products as support.
Therefore, the governor Ikuo Kabashima decided, after the reconstruction of Kumamoto, to erect the statues in honor of Oda. The complaints of the residents seem ridiculous in light of the aid efforts of the manga artist.
Eiichiro Oda has shown with this gesture that his hometown means a lot to him. Through the success of One Piece, he was able to use part of his fortune to help Kumamoto rebuild. However, there are other things Oda has done with his wealth: “I have spent my money on silly things”: The One Piece manga artist gives a house tour
