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One Piece anime is currently on a hiatus. Instead of the Egghead arc, the anime is currently airing the Fishman arc. The manga has been going through its driest phase in the last couple of decades due to the festivities and Eiichiro Oda falling sick. Only six chapters have been released in the last three months. While One Piece seems to progress slowly, fans remember one of the most popular characters of the franchise.
It has been over a decade since the character died, but neither Monkey D. Luffy nor the One Piece fandom has forgotten him. Popularly known as the Fire Fist Ace, Portgas D. Ace died during the Marineford War while fighting alongside his younger brother, Luffy. On his death anniversary, fans are reminiscing about the event, which came to them as a complete shock.
Portgas D. Ace Died 14 Years Ago
Portgas D. Ace made his anime debut during the initial phase of the Alabasta arc. Since his first appearance, he became a darling for the fans, as well as the Straw Hat pirates. Even though he began his pirating journey as the captain of the Spade Pirates, he later joined the Whitebeard Pirates. He was the son of Gol D. Roger and Portgas D. Rouge.
However, after his parents’ death, he was adopted by Monkey D. Garp to keep him safe from the Marines. Being the son of the Pirate King, he was fonder of Edward Newgate and treated him as his father. When Blackbeard killed Thatch for the Yami Yami no Mi, he chased him through nations, only to be defeated by him and captured by the Marines.
Like his biological father, he was also sentenced to death. But the entire Whitebeard Pirate crew came to his aid, along with the Impel Down prisoners and Monkey D. Luffy. A great war took place between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates. Both parties suffered great casualties. Luffy, with everyone’s help, finally freed his brother. However, when Admiral Akainu disrespected Whitebeard, Ace went to fight with him.
Luffy also got caught up between them. In a moment of desperation, when Akainu tried to kill Luffy, Ace came in between to save his little brother and was heavily injured. It left a massive hole in his torso, which ultimately led to his demise. His brotherly instincts led him to sacrifice his life for his brother. The incident took place in episode 483, titled ‘Looking for the Answer – Fire First Ace Dies on the Battlefield.’ The episode was released on January 15, 2011. It has been 14 years since Portgas D. Ace died.
One Piece Fans React To Ace’s Death Anniversary
Fire Fist Ace’s death came as a shock to the entire One Piece fandom. Initially, it was uncertain in which direction the arc would steer. But when Luffy finally managed to free his brother, fans left a sigh of relief, believing the fan-favorite character would be alive to see the next day. However, Eiichiro Oda was not playing with everyone’s emotions. After one of the most satisfying moments, he scarred the protagonist as well as the entire fandom. On his 14th Death Anniversary, fans still remember the original Mera Mera no Mi user.
@RkgRuke wrote, “it is such a deeply sad anime moment.”
@BorchertMire added, “The most unexpected death in anime history.”
@Dqck0 commented, “Didn’t see it coming at all when I was watching…”
@waammii wrote, “The way this still haunts me, I never expected to cry so much!!! I could feel Luffy’s agony, when he went into shock I just wanted to hug Luffy!! Even just thinking about that episode makes me cry.”
@Oswald_A_Lisker said, “after what felt like 100 episodes going through Impel Down and then the War. This broke me. I skipped the entire Sabo flashback because i needed to see how Luffy was doing.”
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Priyanko is currently pursuing his Master’s in Economics. He loves to read manga or watch anime in his spare time. He is a massive fan of One Piece, Naruto, and Haikyu. Amidst the Great Pirating Era, he wishes to become the greatest Hokage, even though he is short.
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