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One of the most iconic characters inOne Pieceis undoubtedly Gol D. Roger. As the one who kick-started the search for the One Piece, Roger is one of the most important characters in the entire franchise, and the few times the story is allowed to delve into his past have always been among the story’s biggest highlights.
Roger will always be one of the characters who defineOne Piece, but he’s become surprisingly controversial in recent years. Recent arcs are expanding on Roger’s character more than ever, but the way it’s been handled has been divisive to the point that many people thinkOne Piecehas ruined Roger’s character, although that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Why One Piece Fans Hate Roger’s Character In Modern Day
The Biggest Problems With Roger In One Piece
For over half ofOne Piece’s story, what little was known about Roger painted him as a largely serious figure; Roger always looked imposing in the flashbacks to his execution, and he was also a violent man who wiped out dozens of pirate crews and would start wars over someone simply insulting his friends.
That all changed with the Wano arc, though. The flashback to Oden’s life was the first timeOne Piecetruly explored Roger’s character, and while some of his seriousness was present, to the surprise of many, he was written as a largely goofy and lighthearted figure who was focused on having fun more than anything.
For most people, that choice was nothing if not disappointing; whileOne Pieceis filled with countless goofy characters, Roger had always seemed to be a character who was mostly serious, so the abrupt reveal that he had always been a somewhat goofy person felt like a misunderstanding of Roger’s original appeal.
The discourse only got worse withOne Piecechapter #1156. Chapter #1156 delved into the history of the Kuja Pirates from when they were viewed as beautiful idols across the world, and Roger was one of many characters rendered a lovestruck moron at the sight of Shakky, even losing a fight to her because of it.
That moment was the breaking point for many people; the idea of Roger, of all people, acting like a lovestruck idiot solidified the idea that he’s not supposed to be seen as a mostly serious character, and for many, that meant his character was utterly ruined with no way of fixing it.
Why One Piece Fans Are Completely Wrong About Roger
Roger’s Personality Has Always Made Perfect Sense
Despite all the discourse surrounding Roger, fans couldn’t be more wrong about their complaints. For starters, much of Roger’s reputation as a violent person was meant to be in-universe propaganda by the World Government, so after all these years, it’s misguided for fans to act like those early depictions of Roger are wholly accurate.
More importantly, though, is the connection between Roger and Luffy. From the early days ofOne Piece, one of the most consistent ideas has been the parallels between Luffy and Roger, with people often commenting on their similarities, andLuffy’s dream for the worldis even stated to be the same as Roger’s.
If anything, Roger’s portrayal inOne Pieceis meant to further emphasize the similarities between Luffy and Roger, even going so far as to have Roger copy some of Luffy’s lines. Something could be said of the execution, but overall,Roger’s portrayal in modernOne Pieceis perfect because of how it builds on the overlap between him and Luffy.
One Filler Episode Completely Ruined Roger’s Reputaton In One Piece
How One Piece’s Filler Changed Roger’s Perception
If there’s any source of why Roger’s characterization is such a problem with fans, it would have to be episode #48 of the anime. Episode #48 began the anime’s take on the Loguetown arc, and while it was a relatively short arc, it was still padded out with plenty of filler content, some of which, most notably, involved Roger.
In episode #48, Luffy met a bartender named Raoul who knew Roger from before he left for the Grand Line, and with how little had been done with Roger’s character up until then, the episode emphasized the idea of Roger being a serious and imposing figure that the few glimpses into his character had created.
The manga was always careful about keeping Roger’s appearances sparse, with Oden’s flashback arc being the first substantial look into his personality, butOne Piece’s fillerignored that and leaned into the idea of him being a dark and serious figure, which is probably a big part of why his more lighthearted portrayal is so jarring to some fans.
One Piece’s Roger Criticism Highlights A Major Problem With Its Fans
One Piece Fans Keep Misunderstanding What Makes The Anime Work
Above all else, the criticisms of Roger’s true persona speak to a major problem within theOne Piecefandom.One Pieceis a series that balances serious drama with lighthearted antics, but in recent years, many fans have taken to disparaging the lighthearted elements in favor of propping up the serious ones and acting like they’re all that matter.
As such, the criticisms of Roger’s characterization are less about people having a problem with how he’s written and more an extension of people hating it whenOne Piecegets too silly, but when fans do that, it’s nothing short of a sign that they’re reading or watchingOne Piecefor the entirely wrong reasons.
The criticisms of Roger’s characterization are less about people having a problem with how he’s written and more an extension of people hating it when One Piecegets too silly.
That attitude among fans isn’t something that can change overnight, but it ultimately does have to change so people can stop misrepresenting the kind of storyOne Pieceis. Understanding that Roger’s characterization isn’t as problematic as people claim is a big part of that, and hopefully, that sort of change isn’t completely out of the question.
