User blog comment:StrawHatDavid/Supernovas: What Role?/@comment-8823907-20130507142226/@comment-5640399-20130507211050

You're right, people don't die very much in One Piece, and certainly not like in Naruto or Bleach (I personally think that alot of the deaths in One Piece are similar to some of the deaths in DBZ). In Bleach, I believe three good guys have died. Genryusai, Gin, and Masaki. Those deaths were for the most part progressions of the plot. Ichigo needed an origin for his protector complex and his ridiculously broody temperment, so Masaki died, Soul Society need some chaos for Zero Squad to come on down, kill Yamamoto. Ace never had to die. Ace died cause it was horrible, cos it never ever for a moment seemed like it was going to happen, not when Luffy missed him and Impel Down, not when Squard stabbed WB (heartbreaking moment, go reread, chapter 563 end of 562) and not when they were going to lop his head off, we all though Luffy would get there, like with Robin. Whitebeard died to show that in One Piece real men never ever lose there dreams. He never fell, he never faltered or abandoned his sons, and I reckon there will never be a marine who will have the balls to move that man corpse. They'll put a sign beside it saying, Here Came Whitebeard, But No Farther. The only decent death in Naruto was Jiraiya's and that was years ago. All in all, Oda doesn't over use death, death is a sign of evil. The tenryubito kill, the nobles kill, Hody and Arlong and Enel and Akainu kill. Luffy doesn't. Luffy's a good guy. For now, anyway.