Portgas D. Ace may have been gone from the main One Piece timeline for years, but clearly, fans are not done crying over him yet.
According to ComicBook Anime, Ace is currently ranked 7th in the midterm results for One Piece’s latest global popularity poll, placing him above Shanks and even some members of the Straw Hat crew. That is honestly wild when you remember this is a series with hundreds of characters, decades of history, and an active arc happening right now in Elbaph.
Ace first appeared 26 years ago during the Drum Island period before properly entering the story in the Alabasta Saga. He was Luffy’s older brother, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, and one of those characters who instantly felt cool without trying too hard. Fire powers, chill abang energy, and that chaotic habit of falling asleep mid-meal — bro had aura from day one.
But Ace’s popularity is not just about being stylish. His story hits because One Piece used him to explore something heavier: the need to feel accepted. As the son of Gol D. Roger, Ace grew up carrying a reputation he never asked for. He spent much of his life wondering whether he even deserved to exist, which is a brutal emotional thread for what many people still casually call a “pirate adventure anime”.
That is why Marineford still hurts. After Ace’s failed attempt to take down Blackbeard, he was captured and sentenced to death. The Whitebeard Pirates and Luffy threw themselves into a massive war against the World Government to save him, only for Ace to die protecting Luffy from Akainu. His final goodbye, where he thanks everyone for loving him, remains one of the most devastating moments in shonen anime.
For Malaysian and SEA fans, this is the kind of One Piece moment that never really leaves the group chat. Whether you watched it on TV, caught up through streaming, or binged the manga during school/college days, Ace’s death became one of those shared anime trauma points. Even now, mention Marineford at an anime event or cosplay gathering and confirm got someone ready to reopen old wounds.
The poll result also shows how powerful legacy characters can be in a long-running series. One Piece is currently deep into the Elbaph Arc, but Ace still matters. The Top 15 characters from the poll are set to receive new eyecatchers in the Elbaph Arc in 2027, meaning Ace could still appear in fresh anime material even if he has no direct role in the current storyline.
His impact on Luffy is also massive. ComicBook notes that Eiichiro Oda created Ace with the intention of eventually killing him, even though an editor reportedly suggested keeping him alive after seeing how popular he became. Oda stuck to the plan, and Ace’s death became the emotional trigger that pushed Luffy into the time skip.
After Marineford, Luffy finally understood he was not ready for the New World. Jinbe reminded him that he still had his crew. Rayleigh trained him for two years and taught him Haki. Hancock and others also helped him survive that lowest point. Without Ace’s sacrifice, Luffy’s journey probably would not have taken the same shape.
So yeah, 16 years after his death and 26 years after his debut, Ace still ranking this high makes complete sense. He was not around for the whole story, but the short time he had was enough to burn himself into One Piece history.
Source: ComicBook Anime