IN A piece, most of the characters eventually become relevant to the plot long after they are introduced. However, two key villains, Smoker and Tashigi, have been absent from the series for too long, and mangaka Eiichiro Oda needs to bring them back soon in the Final Saga to adequately resolve their character arcs. If he doesn’t, then he’ll make much of the series worse.
At the end of the East Blue story arc, when the Straw Hats stop by Loguetown, they encounter two marines who stand out above all other members of the organization the series has introduced. Smoker is a gruff Marine but actually has a kind heart, shown when he did not punish a girl who ruined his clothes. His right-hand woman, Tashigi is a powerful female swordsman who looks a lot like Zoro’s childhood friend and rival, Kuina, who died as a young girl, setting Zoro on the path to becoming a swordsman. strongest in the world. These two characters and their subordinates became the Straw Hats’ sworn enemies, pursuing the crew all the way to the Grand Line and trying to bring them to justice.
Smoker and Tashigi have roles in the Final Saga of One Piece
However, since Punk Hazard, these characters have been largely absent from the series. This is a shame, as they could have easily had a prominent role in post-time. After the timeskip, different factions of the Navy emerged, with a group called the Sword serving as the more ethical group of marines. This group can act outside of official orders and however they see fit. It also features other prominent marines from the series, such as Garp, Koby, and Helmeppo. Although Tashigi went with this group to help free Koby during Garp’s heroic attack on the Blackbeard Pirates, she did not actively participate in the fight, making it unclear whether she actually is an important member of that group or not. At least this was more than Smoker received, since he had been absent since Dressrosa.
Part of the reason Smoker and Tashigi were pushed aside probably stems from the fact that they are no longer as strong a threat as they were when the Straw Hats first entered the Grand Line. However, if Oda upgrades the power of characters like Koby and Helmeppo, he can easily upgrade the skills of Smoker and Tashigi as well. Their absence is especially painful because there are still mysteries surrounding them, such as the question of why Tashigi resembles Kuina. The absence of Tashigi and Smoker implies that Oda may not consider these questions important enough to address in One Piece, potentially only revealing it on SBS like he did with Zoro’s family legacy.
Smoker and Tashigi deserve to complete their character arcs
There’s still a long way to go in the Final Saga, so hopefully Smoker and Tashigi will appear before the series ends. After all, Oda could just have them do important things in the background until they become relevant to the story again, which would make their absence justified. However, if A piece without actually bringing back Tashigi and Smoker, it would make their interactions with the Straw Hats a lot less satisfying.