The One Piece series is known for its gripping storytelling, but Robin and Nami’s Egghead outfits highlight a feature that may push new fans away.

One Piece‘s Egghead Island arc contains some incredible battles and heartbreaking plot twists, but also a surprising amount of fan service that could push new fans away. The increasing success of Eiichiro Oda’s story about super-powered pirates has attracted more eyes to the series than ever in the franchise’s history. However, the anime’s reveal of Robin and Nami’s scantily clad Egghead arc uniforms highlights an issue that may push some new fans away.

One Piece‘s Egghead Island arc has provided more than a few outstanding episodes, and the anime is only getting started. Still, episode #1094 covered the section where many of the Straw Hat Crew get updated outfits. This includes Nami and Robin, who each received stylish new costumes that are however missing vital pieces of clothing.

Each present member of the Straw Hats received new clothes from one of Dr. Vegapunk’s machines. The male members of the crew were each dressed in stylish jumpsuits with space-age-like accessories. However, Nami and Robin’s ensembles expose much more skin and do not include pants or shorts. Unfortunately, author Eiichiro Oda has explained this choice, and it’s an answer that will disappoint fans more interested in a well-constructed plot than skimpy female anime characters.

The Women of One Piece Are Missing Much Clothing On Egghead Island

One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda, anime produced by Toei Animation

One Piece is a story filled with inclusion and gripping character development, so it sticks out like a sore thumb when over-the-top fan service presents itself, a feature often created to tantalize Shonen Jump’s primary demographic: young teenage boys. In Volume #106 of the One Piece manga’s Q&A, a reader asked Oda why the Egghead Island arc has more exposed buttocks than previous arcs. This was the response:

“I wanted to make a design that was clearly different from the modern one, but I ended up with costumes that showed off butts. When I realized that, I researched how to draw sexy buttocks, and I became able to draw the buttocks well. After that, it became fun to draw the buttocks, and the number of butt angles increased! Drawing is fun!”

Because of the primary demographic of Shonen Jump’s audience, it’s understandable that many of the manga series it publishes feature sexualized representations of female characters. It’s a trend that seems to be diminishing, which is a tactic that will help manga series and the stories they try to tell to be taken more seriously. However, it seems that Oda’s reason for exposing so much of his characters’ lower bodies is simply that he has fun drawing them. Such a response could only be given by the most successful mangaka of all time, as any up-and-coming artist would probably have occurred in a world of trouble with the same attitude.

One Piece‘s Story Deserves To Be Taken Seriously, Despite Its Fan Service

With One Piece becoming a global phenomenon, episode #1094’s display of revealing Egghead outfits for characters like Nami and Robin is sure to be a turn-off for viewers who see fan service as a sign that a story is not suited for them. There is nothing wrong with fan service, but it often serves as a major distraction from whatever story is being told. One Piece is a series that includes both a gripping tale and sexualized female characters, but overindulging in the latter can alienate a potential fan base who sees fan service as a tool to pander to a young male audience.

Ultimately, a Japanese artist operates by very different standards from a Western audience, so it’s unlikely that any criticism based on excessive fan-service will ever reach Oda, especially if he drew these costumes for himself and not the audience. Oda has proved to be one of history’s greatest storytellers with the series’ revolutionary world-building and complex characters. Still, One Piece‘s fan service can prevent certain people from taking its story seriously and giving it a chance.