Summary

• Eiichiro Oda will only introduce a character with an eyepatch at the very end of One Piece, signaling the series' conclusion.
• The mystery of who will wear the eyepatch in the finale remains, with speculation on either Luffy or a new character.
• Eiichiro Oda's comments on eyepatches hint at a symbolic ing of the torch in the story's conclusion.

One Piece is set to end within the next few years, and there are still a lot of mysteries that need to be unraveled. Some involve plot points that haven’t been fully addressed over the years, but others have stemmed from Eiichiro Oda’s comments about the series that, in most cases, have never been elaborated on in the series or by Oda, himself.

Some of One Piece’s biggest mysteries come from Eiichiro Oda’s comments, and one of them might be incredibly important. In the last edition of One Para, a series of leaflets released with merchandise for One Piece’s 10th anniversary, Eiichiro Oda talked about why there are no characters with eyepatches in One Piece, and overall, Eiichiro Oda’s comments about eyepatches might tie in heavily to One Piece’s ending.

There’s no telling when One Piece will end, so overall, having any information about its ending is great.

One Piece Will End As Soon As Someone With An Eyepatch Appears

Original series created by Eiichiro Oda

According to Eiichiro Oda, while he sees an eyepatch as being symbolic of being a pirate, he wanted to draw the story of how a boy grows into a person who wears an eyepatch rather than just have someone show up with one, and because of that, Eiichiro Oda won’t have anyone in One Piece wear an eyepatch until the very end of the story. That’s the most concrete information that’s been given about One Piece’s ending, and if it has the kind of build-up Oda said it should, it should be something every fan is looking forward to.

Who Will Be The One To Wear An Eyepatch In One Piece’s Finale?

The most likely candidates for wearing an eyepatch in One Piece

One Piece will essentially end as soon as someone with an eyepatch appears, so that invites the question of who that character will be. Taking Eiichiro Oda’s comments into , it would be easy to assume that Luffy will be the one to wear an eyepatch at the end of One Piece, due to his being the main character and the one with the most consistent growth. Eiichiro Oda even drew an image of Luffy with an eyepatch when he first commented on it, so on the surface, that’s probably where the story will go.

On the other hand, the person who wears an eyepatch could be a new character, entirely. Eiichiro Oda said that he was “itching to draw them [the character with an eyepatch]”, and with how One Piece has a consistent theme of people needing to things on to the next generation, the person who wears an eyepatch could be the true pirate to follow Luffy’s legacy after Luffy becomes the Pirate King. An ending like that would be perfect for a story like One Piece, and it makes the wait for the character with an eyepatch all the more exciting.

Source: One Para translations via Arlong Park Forums.