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Even though One Piece has avoided romance like the plague for the last two decades of its run, this hasn’t stopped fans from shipping characters together, including the Straw Hats themselves. From popular ships like Frobin (Franky and Robin) to niche ones like ZoSan (Zoro and Sanji), fans have imagined many romantic pairings among the Straw Hat crew over the years. This also includes the crew’s captain and navigator, who are collectively often referred to as LuNami (Luffy and Nami). Though this pairing has been entirely fan-made so far, One Piece’s new spin-off may have just added fuel to the fire with One Piece’s own creator subtly teasing his support for the ship.
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At AnimeJapan 2025, One Piece recently announced an anime adaptation of the spin-off manga Koisuru One Piece or One Piece Love by Daiki Ihara, a rom-com centered around two high schoolers named Yamamato Luffy and Koyama Nami. The spin-off has since been released on April 1st, 2025, on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Celebrating its release, One Piece’s official X account shared a message from Oda asking fans to watch the new series, notably calling it an official spin-off. This, together with Eiichiro Oda’s previous open support for the spin-off, has been taken by many as unofficial confirmation that LuNami is canon after all, finally putting the debate to rest.
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One Piece Has Always Avoided Romance Between the Straw Hats
Since the very beginning, Oda has made it clear time and time again that One Piece doesn’t have any romance simply because One Piece is a shonen series directed at young boys who he believes wouldn’t be interested in romance.
In an interview at Jump Festa 2009, Oda was even asked whether there was anyone that Nami liked, and his answer instantly shot down any hopes of romance among the crew, reading, “Hmm, in a romantic sense? I don’t think there will be any romance among the crew.” As for whether Nami potentially harbors romantic feelings for anyone in the crew, Oda said, “Nami probably sees all the good aspects/qualities of those guys, but One Piece isn’t a romance.”
Putting the final nail in the coffin, Oda further added, “Maybe a lot of girl readers ask this kind of question. Boys are not interested at all. One Piece is basically a shonen manga, manga for boys, so romance isn’t depicted.”
Oda has gone on to echo this sentiment that romance wouldn’t appeal to One Piece’s primary target audience as recently as 2022 in the OVER 100 Miracle Talk with Gosho Aoyama, saying, “But I also know that if I draw romance, some of my fans will leave. I think it’s fine when they’re one-sided feelings, but if it goes both ways, both characters lose fans.” The latter half of this statement might explain why Oda chose to keep Pudding’s feelings for Sanji one-sided at the end of the Whole Cake Island Arc.
One Piece’s New Spin-off Teases LuNami Could Be Canon After All
Despite Oda strongly avoiding romance, this has never stopped fans from pairing off the Straw Hats together, with LuNami being one of the most popular yet also the most debated ships. Given Nami’s backstory and the events of Arlong Park, it is easy to see why fans ship Luffy and Nami together, especially with her being the first female member of the crew. For the longest time, this ship has languished in fanon circles, though it seems the new One Piece spin-off is finally revealing Oda’s true feelings on the pairing behind all the denial.
Besides the recent message accompanying the anime’s release, Oda has also previously declared the spin-off as official in the SBS of Volume 97, where he also revealed he has been keeping up with the series weekly. Oda has continued to support the series over the years, and while it is still doubtful whether One Piece will ever see any outright form of romance of its own, perhaps the latest spin-off is a sign that Oda is finally coming around on the romance front. For now, this is the closest thing to confirmation that LuNami shippers can get, and if anything, the new One Piece spin-off is an excellent way to vicariously see this beloved ship sail until then.
Source: @Eiichiro_Staff on X.
