Eiichiro Oda Made the Celestial Dragons Deliberately Ugly to Avoid a Major Shonen Trope That One Piece Broke

One of the recurring yet surprising aspects seen in Shonen manga is that the villains are sometimes equally, or even more popular than the protagonist trope. The reasons for this include their complex personalities and morals, and also cool designs of the said characters. However, Eiichiro Oda has subverted this popular trope in One Piece by creating Celestial Dragons — the elite group of world nobles who sit at the pinnacle of power.

Unlike the cool, charismatic villains that typically populate Shonen manga, Oda deliberately made the Celestial Dragons as grotesque and unlikeable as possible, both in appearance and behavior, to avoid a repeated trope of villains in the genre.

Celestial Dragons: Eiichiro Oda’s Defiance of the Archetypal Cool Shonen Villains

The villains in most Shonen manga have a tendency to be portrayed as “cool” or “edgy,” often displaying sleek designs and charming traits that make them fan favorites. Despite their gruesome actions, these villains are often given tragic backstories that evoke sympathy or admiration among fans.

Naruto’s Madara Uchiha, Dragon Ball Z’s Frieza, and even Bleach’s Aizen are prime examples of antagonists who, despite their evil deeds, are widely adored by fans. Their stylish designs, combined with their cunning motivations and tragic backstories, often overshadow the brutality of their actions.

However, Eiichiro Oda adopted a different strategy with the Celestial Dragons in One Piece. Instead of creating them as cool and morally complex characters, he leaned into their hideous qualities, making them truly unpleasant in every way.

Their ugly appearance, disgusting nature, and hedonistic attitude draw attention to how ugly they are on the inside as well as the outside. Oda made this intentional decision in order to keep fans from growing to love these characters in the way that more traditional, “cool” villains tend to do.

The True Purpose Behind the Celestial Dragon’s Hideous Designs in One Piece

Eiichiro Oda’s decision to make the Celestial Dragons physically unattractive goes hand-in-hand with his desire to make them loathed by the audience. As a writer, Oda fully understands the danger of creating a villain so charismatic or visually appealing that fans eventually start to admire them, regardless of their actions.

This is something that has happened with another villain from One Piece —Donquixote Doflamingo. As a former Celestial Dragon turned pirate, Doflamingo carries himself with an air of charisma and swagger that makes him one of the coolest villains in One Piece. Despite committing horrific crimes, including enslaving the people of Dressrosa and murdering countless innocents, Doflamingo is celebrated within the fanbase due to his stylish design, confidence, and tenacity.

Thus, Oda wanted to make sure that the Celestial Dragons were viewed as the oppressive, tyrannical figures they were. By making them ugly, both physically and morally, he left no room for fans to sympathize with or idolize them. The Celestial Dragons are not meant to be misunderstood or tragic; they are the symbols of unchecked power and privilege, abusing their authority without a second thought. Their ugliness is a reflection of their twisted souls, and Oda ensures that there is no glamour to be found in their cruelty.

This choice also reinforces the idea that true evil isn’t always complex; it can simply be ugly, cowardly, and disgusting. Instead of being tragic antiheroes or misunderstood geniuses, the Celestial Dragons are pure representations of oppression. And by making them physically ugly, Oda created some villains that have no redeeming or sympathizing factors.

One Piece is currently available to watch and read on Crunchyroll and Viz Media, respectively.