I have heard many male authors are derided for preferring to write a character of their own sex or for writing female characters poorly. In my view, this complaint is unfair, as I am a woman who finds it easier to create and relate to lady characters. Even so, the manga One Piece, written by Eiichiro Oda, rarely faces the accusation of having bland or unrealistic women, though that isn’t to say it doesn’t have its fair share of naysayers.

Despite having interesting and varied female characters, there have been accusations of sexism levied against One Piece. The intended audience of the manga consists of impressionable young boys (ages eight to fourteen), and one might wonder what lessons they’re learning from it. I didn’t decided to write this article to point fingers but rather to open an arena for discussion, criticism, and even praise. Oda has created numerous multifaceted and powerful female characters, though often times it seems he doesn’t know how to use them.

When I say women in One Piece impress me, I’m not being hyperbolic. Any time a new lady was introduced during my first read-through of the manga, I worried they would play into a tiring cliche. Every time I was proven wrong. Just like any other character, the women have their quirks that make them entertaining, and just enough depth to make them lovable. From protagonists to the villains, from the side characters to the lead pirate ladies, the women of One Piece continually surprise me. As someone who values quality over quantity, I’m more than happy with the female characters Oda has provided.

With this in mind, it must seem baffling that I feel the need to write this article at all. Even as a person who avoids looking for the sexism in media, I’ve still noticed trends that make me pause.

Nico Robin is my favorite One Piece character, and I would not hesitate to call her well-written, strong, and important to the story overall. I only wish I didn’t have to feel like I’m a beggar, always starving for more of her. In fact, that’s how I feel about almost every single female character in the manga. I fall in love with them only to grow increasingly frustrated as I watch their potential be wasted on the sidelines.

If Robin was the only character that demonstrated this point, there wouldn’t be a problem. Considering that I believe the women in One Piece have equally intriguing fighting capacity to the men, I think Oda has an untapped gold mine right under his feet. Imagine what an all-out fight with Baby 5 would look like. Think of how cool a full-scale battle of strategy Robin could have. What creative ways could Boa Hancock make use of her powers? Sadly, it feels as though we will never see any of this. I can count on my fingers the number of large-scale fights we’ve seen with women. They’re allowed to be crowd sweepers, like Robin in the Fishman Island Arc or Hancock in the 3D2Y special, but are usually excluded from hard action. Nami has two one-on-one fights to her name, while Robin has only one, in stark contrast to their male crew members.

The problem? Oda seems to dismiss women as fighters. That’s not to say he excludes them from the action of an arc. He is simply more likely to portray them as team players or clever gatherers of information. I understand that this manga belongs to Oda, but from a storytelling point of view it seems wasteful to keep so many characters from fighting.

Another issue to ponder would be the significance female characters have in the overall world of One Piece. As of right now, there are only two confirmed women who carry the Will of D – Portgas D Rouge and Trafalgar D Water Lammy, both of whom are dead and only exist to aid the back stories of male characters. The three of the most powerful groups in One Piece–The Seven Warlords, Four Emperors, and Eleven Supernovas –have only one female member apiece. At times, I get the feeling that these girls were begrudgingly included as tokens of female representation, a thought I wish had never occurred to me.

Though this aspect is disappointing, I would argue that in general, women do play an important part in the story. While there may be a far higher ratio of men to women, the female characters we have are often strong, powerful, and demand respect. Consider Tsuru, a Vice Admiral on par with Monkey D. Garp, who seems to have won the position through pure hard work. Lady characters come in all shapes and sizes. The main characters’ mother figures, such as Olvia, Dadan, and Bellemere, hold tightly to goals and show admirable dedication. From little girls like Aisa to old women like Kokoro, these characters capture the audience’s attention through bravery and determination. Even the girls such as Vivi or Rebecca, who come across more as kindly and soft, manage to fight tooth and nail for those important to them. I might want to see more lady fighters, but I’ll never say no to women of great fortitude.

One Piece is not perfect, nothing is. Even a manga as dear to my heart as this one, there are still elements that call for criticism. Any story can be improved with small changes, and even within criticism there are disagreements. Everyone has their own view as to what represents a “weak” character and a “strong” character, and I’m sure many of you disagree with me in places. But at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that Oda has created some amazing female characters, and I’ll always be grateful to him for giving them to us.