In One Piece, most characters eventually become relevant to the plot long after they were introduced. However, two important antagonists, Smoker and Tashigi, have been absent from the series for far too long, and mangaka Eiichiro Oda needs to bring them back in the Final Saga soon in order to satisfactorily resolve their character arcs. If he doesn’t, then he will have made much of the series retroactively worse.
At the end of the East Blue saga, when the Straw Hats stopped in Loguetown they encountered two Marines who stood out from all the other members of that organization the series had introduced. Smoker was a gruff Navy man who actually had a kind heart, as shown when he didn’t punish a girl who ruined his clothing. His right hand Tashigi was a powerful swordswoman who looked a lot like Zoro’s childhood friend and rival Kuina, who died as a young girl, setting Zoro on the path to becoming the world’s strongest swordsman. These two characters and their underlings became consistent enemies of the Straw Hats, chasing the crew all the way to the Grand Line and trying to bring them to justice.
Smoker and Tashigi Have A Role To Play In One Piece‘s Final Saga
However, ever since Punk Hazard, these characters have been largely absent from the series. This is a shame, given they could have easily had a prominent role in the post time skip arcs. After the time skip, different factions of the Navy emerged, with a group known as Sword acting as the more moral group of marines. This group could act outside official orders and however they saw fit. It also featured other prominent marines in the series, like Garp, Koby, and Helmeppo. While Tashigi did accompany this group to help free Koby during Garp’s heroic assault on the Blackbeard Pirates, she didn’t take an active part in the fighting, making it unclear if she is actually an important member of that group. At least this is more than Smoker has received, as he has been absent ever since Dressrosa.
Part of Smoker and Tashigi being sidelined probably comes from how they aren’t the powerful threats they were when the Straw Hats were first entering the Grand Line. However, if Oda gave characters like Koby and Helmeppo major power ups, he could have easily increased Smoker and Tashigi’s skills as well. Their absence also especially stings as there are still mysteries surrounding them, such as the question of why Tashigi looks like Kuina. Tashigi and Smoker’s absence implies that Oda may not view these questions as being important enough to resolve in One Piece itself, potentially just revealing it in an SBS like he did with Zoro’s family heritage.
Smoker And Tashigi Deserve To Finish Their Character Arcs
There is still a long way to go in the Final Saga, so hopefully Smoker and Tashigi will appear before the series ends. After all, Oda may just be having them do important things in the background until they become relevant to the story again, which would make their absence justified. However, if One Piece doesn’t actually bring back Tashigi and Smoker, it will retroactively make their interactions with the Straw Hats a lot less satisfying.
