The God Valley Incident: Are One Piece fans expecting too much from Oda?

Since Eiichiro Oda began revealing the truth on the God Valley Incident, it was supposed to be one of the most anticipated flashbacks of One Piece. It has been teased for years, and fans wanted to know what events led to Roger and Garp teaming up to fight against another mysterious character known as Xebec. And now that this arc is coming to its conclusion, there are fans who seem to be unsatisfied by how the creator has chosen to deliver this story.

They are arguing that the backlash is overblown and that expectations have spiraled out of proportion. So, is the disappointment justified, or are readers asking too much from Eiichiro Oda? The short answer, according to me, is that the creator has given a justified plot, and as we know that the story is in its Final Saga, even the pacing makes sense.

A legendary event with limited page time

Fans were waiting for the God Valley incident to start to witness the final battle between Roger, Garp versus Rocks D. Xebec. And after so much build-up, fans are disappointed that their battle concluded in a few pages. In One Piece Chapter 1165, this event finally takes place, which leads to the disbanding of the Rocks Pirates. Naturally, with so much lore tied to this event, readers expected an explosive and lengthy depiction.

Some fans were so disappointed with this pacing that they felt that Oda rushed it. However, long-time readers of the One Piece manga have come up to voice their opinion. They have pointed out that this series rarely focuses on delivering extensive battles; usually, if a fan wants to experience a battle shown in One Piece should wait for it to be animated. It has also been brought to attention that even during the Marineford arc, the author did not focus on extensive battle chapters.

Why Oda’s choice makes sense, and some One Piece fans have unrealistic expectations

Oda has always prioritized storytelling, emotion, and world-building over raw action. The God Valley flashback isn’t a battle manga moment; it’s a narrative puzzle piece, revealing long-held secrets about the world’s balance of power. Compressing the fight allows Oda to focus on why the battle happened rather than how it unfolded. Critics often forget that Oda’s health and the manga’s length are also at stake.

Many manga readers avoid starting this series because of its length, and if the creator keeps on releasing detailed fights with multiple characters, then not only will the length keep on increasing it will also affect his health. Moreover, the One Piece anime adaptation can expand on what the manga couldn’t. Toei Animation has a history of adapting 1-2 manga chapters per episode, and that is why those who want to see the detailed fight can enjoy it when it gets adapted into anime.

The same happened during the Marineford or Wano arc, so all hope is not lost. Over the years, One Piece readers have built up almost mythical expectations for every “legendary” event. Maybe that is why there has been this expectation from Oda to release detailed battles. There are a few who wanted it to be longer because they wanted to understand power scaling in their world.

Sometimes, within the fandom, fans tend to get excited to know about how powerful a character is, and if there is less information, they tend to be disappointed. For them, a short fight feels like a lost opportunity to prove who’s stronger, but Oda’s writing has never prioritized that.

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Final thoughts

Despite the noise, many fans believe the flashback of God Valley in One Piece has been a massive success. It has finally tied together the histories of Garp, Roger, Rocks, and the Celestial Dragons, while teasing the deeper mysteries of the world government and the Holy Knights. It also cleverly linked back to the present-day Elbaf arc, showing Oda’s mastery of long-term storytelling. In the end, whether fans call it “rushed” or “peak,” one thing is certain that One Piece continues to keep the world talking, even after 25 years.

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