Ace was one of the strongest character in One Piece and a perfect rival to Luffy in many ways, but his power scaling never made sense at all.

SUMMARY

Ace was one of the best written characters in One Piece ever.
However his death came as a big shock to every One Piece fan.
Still, his power scaling never made sense as he had a lot of potential.

Within the vast array of One Piece characters, the one name that hurts to this day is Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s sworn elder brother, son of former Pirate King Gol D. Roger, and the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. He was one of the most loved characters in the series but left too early as he was killed during the battle of Marineford, which was fought to save him from execution by the Marines.

Portgas D. Ace from One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

Ace was one of the strongest characters, and many fans believed that he had a lot of potential that could have been used by Eiichiro Oda to make the One Piece narrative even more intriguing. And while he was perfect in almost every way, there was one aspect of his character that confuses fans to this day. This aspect was his power scaling, which was never really explained by the One Piece manga creator properly.

This is also one of the reasons why his death doesn’t make sense to a lot of fans. He had the strength to surpass the Emperors of the Sea, but still, he got killed without any proper display of Haki abilities or his Devil Fruit awakening. Ideally, he was one of the biggest threats to Luffy’s dream of becoming the Pirate King in One Piece.

Ace’s death is one of the most shocking moments in One Piece

When Ace’s character was first introduced during the Alabasta saga in One Piece, he instantly became a fan favorite because he was exactly like Luffy in more than one way and also showcased a lot of potential. The display of his Devil Fruit powers in the first few episodes of his introduction proved that he is one of the strongest characters who is on par with the Warlords of the Sea in One Piece.

From his need to make his “father” Whitebeard the Pirate King, to defeating Blackbeard for killing his crewmate, Ace displayed every quality of a main character. His charisma and goofiness were just like Luffy’s, only he was a little bit more mature considering his age. Still, it didn’t prevent him from living his life to the fullest.

However, when Eiichiro Oda decided to kill him and essentially remove him from the narrative, it came as a shock to every One Piece fan. While in a way it was necessary for Luffy’s growth, it still didn’t make sense, as continuing Ace’s character could have given more layers to the narrative of the series.

Ace’s power scaling never made sense

Although Ace was one of the best-written characters in One Piece, his power scaling never made sense. When he was introduced, he was at the level of the Warlords of the Sea but still couldn’t use or wouldn’t use Haki to take down Blackbeard.

While it’s understandable that the concept of Armament and Observation Haki was not introduced at the time, he still had Conqueror’s Haki, which evidently he was unaware of.

Ace and Luffy | Credits: Toei Animation

Also, in terms of his Devil Fruits, he had one of the strongest Devil Fruits that allowed him to create, control, and transform his body into fire. He mastered the fruit to the next level, but he still couldn’t defend himself against the attack of Akainu, who essentially used lava to kill him. This confused fans a little bit because at the time Akainu didn’t use Haki at all.

This is why, while Ace’s character was perfect for almost every aspect of the One Piece narrative, his power scaling left fans in confusion. If Oda had given a little more focus to his power scaling, he would have been one of the greatest characters in One Piece who wouldn’t have died so easily.