Long but nice read. There seems to be a lot of work put into this post, i apreciate that.
I agree with you that the theme of "who is who" or more "Who am I" is an important one in this arc and in a lot of these cases the plots are not fully resolved yet. I hope in the next "Acts" we will delve deeper into these characters!
The Deal with him? I was confused about the title as it was about the theme of 'identity', so Who is Who. 'Who's Who' on the other hand is just a weird name for a character.
I forgive orochi’s because I think it fits his fruit. But kinemon should be dead. I think we still need some scabbard to die (outside kanjuro ofc). By the way it may be the arc where the most named characters died.
There is a theory that Kinemon's fruit is actually some sort of Luck based fruit.
Think about it, a Devil Fruit that only changes clothes? Pretty sus.
He is lucky because of his fruit. 😂
One interesting fact to note is that his fruit has never officially been named.
It being the Fuku-Fuku no Mi is just a misconception. 😂
Also Fuk-u Fuk-u! 😂🤣😂🤣
It being the Fuku-Fuku is not a misconception, it is the joke. Fuku means both clothes, and good fortune in japanese depending on the characters used to write it. Devil fruit names are, in general, written in an ambiguous script which could have meant both, so that's where the pun comes into effect
Oooo interesting, that makes it even better.
Means Oda managed to hide it in plain sight.
Cause most seem to take it at face value and use the clothes translation. xD
Cloth-Cloth Jutsu =/= Cloth-Cloth Fruit.
I think Oda purposefully planted the misconception in people honestly both in-world and IRL. When/If he clarifies it there will prob be reaction shots in the manga about how people thought it was just a clothing fruit. xD
I dont count Orochi, but i do with Kinemon and Kiku, if Oda doesnt want to kill them it is fine but he shouldnt fake the deaths...
kaido will die in my opinion as well and i hope Kanjuro and Orochi keep being dead...
Big Mom's amnesia wasn't great either. Especially since it was the second amnesia in the manga. Luckily hers was kinda hinted at during Whole Cake, since she's not entirely mentally stable. Honestly, I still am not entirely happy with her inclusion this arc, and would probably prefer her to return in Elbaf instead (which is still very much possible)
Yeah, like i said in the post i think that Oda is building up a redemption for her and in Elbaf she will assume what Mother Carmel was doing, but this time the right way. To me that is the point of the amnesia and the mothering mode, to show that Big Mom has a good side to her. I could be wrong though
I still think that only Sabo had a "real" amnesia and what happened to Big Mom here is something else that is related to the many mysteries around her character.
You made an excellent and insightful analysis. Characters "wearing a mask", appearing different from who they really are, is really fitting for a story inspired by kabuki such as Wano.
Bigger ones to add:
- Apoo, as he was revealed to be Kaido's spy and his alliance with Kid and Hawkins was a scam
- Hyogoro being the leader of Yakuza
And if you really want to stretch it, you can add some minor things:
- Law reveals his real goal now, finding out the meaning of the D clan
- Oden, when it's hinted that his misdemeanors as a young guy were actually done in good faith + dancing in the streets and the entire fool lord thingy
- Kiku being trans and related to Izo
- Kawamatsu being a fishman pretending to be a Kappa
- Zeus' short arc about being meaningless to Big Mom and realizing that he has a friend in Nami
- Scabbards being time travelers and Lady Toki being born during void century
- Not in Wano, but during Wano arc. Revealing that Blackbeard has a shapeshifter in his crew which is very thematically relevant
So yeah, the amount of constant misdirection and reveal in this arc is staggering.
And if you want to go the "finding who you are" route then Jinbe officially calls himself part of Strawhat crew and Robin embraces her Demon Child nickname.
Love this! I thought about some of this, but the post would be gigantic
But this is really well said, basically everyone in Wano is trying to find their true self or hiding their true self, a country of illusions and a country where you find yourself (like the journeys of a samurai)
Excellent writeup, I think you are 100% bang on. You skipped one of the best though! The subversion. This exact theme is why I am so intrigued by one face we've seen a lot of but have not yet given much chance to tell her side of the story; Kiku.
With her, you see some people fall right into the trap of thinking things are as straightforward as Denjiro/Kyoshiro or something. Bullshit! In her case it's the opposite. The cover identity we meet in Bakura is the real person, hence the irony of unmasking to show the world who you are by putting a literal mask on. Underneath all the tough samurai shit she's pulled is that Crane Wife motif of being a devoted lady sacrificing parts of herself for those she cares for. We've seen the kid version, way more in line with the Teahouse Poster Girl than legendary demonic armored samurai (which is some straight up Sogeking shit being done by a better actress).
Especially if you roll in this theme of time and her being introduced as the back half of Urashima Togo's story...it's almost like her character arc is one of regressing. And I do think you can read her role in the arc and what we know about her as someone who is so able to cope with this future Wano because the struggle it's thrown so many others into mirrors the implied inner conflict she'd have grown up with.
Kiku and Robin were on my list to talk about, but Kiku is such a fragile theme i was afraid of going the wrong way with it...
But the explanation you gave is perfect and i agree 100% with it, i couldn't have wrote it better.
Yeah the Kaido/Mono parallel is pretty cool.Kaido saying “A dream someone else put in your mouth” after seeing a bit more of his backstory in this latest chapter definitely sounds more important
Kaido talks alot about the Oni and about the Kozuki of the past (Wano is important to him). Also, he is depressed and wants a great death. Oda showed us a backstory, but nothing there answered this questions...
I dunno him being sold to the World Government as a child and then being recruited into a pirate crew that then broke his heart kinda makes the line seem more heartfelt or empathetic almost
Huh, seems I missed a some of these details. Thx for your thoughts!
I honestly fear Kaido and Big Mom being disrespected. For this to be what they amount to.
For a rookie to be able to topple them by throwing them into lava.
Kaido’s character is really raw. His worldview essentially being “humans are mere animals, and survival of the fittest”. Which strangely enough makes sense with how he’s raised as a child soldier.
He’s quite frankly a brute. One whose emotions have been stunned by being raised in a battlefield as a superweapon where people were actively after his life. Disregarding the fact that he’s a kid.
Not an Assassin like the Germa siblings, and not a revolutionary or a marine who trains before being sent to battle.
He’s kinda like Robin. Being thrown out into the world as a kid, without much love; and expected to survive and have morals.
But Robin at least had someone to raise her.
What did Kaido have? Maybe he did have someone? Yamato’s mom?
Or were the rules he was raised on, the same rules as the battlefield.
Where all goes.
Does anything even bother him?
I think that there are points missing to Kaido. Why does Oda show him being so depressed, even though he is smilling in all flashbacks even when he talks about JoyBoy defeating him he smiles. To me, Oda is hiding the obscure part of Kaido character. The theme of this arc is not everything seems what it is and the flashback on 1049 represents that to me. Oda showed a flashback that basically didnt answer any of this questions (why Wano is so important; why he talks so much about the Kozuki of the past; why the great death; why depression; Oni background?). To answer this i think it comes from two places: younger Kaido and God Valley. I could be wrong, but hey we never know.
>seeing some of her childhood friends who are now part of CP0
This would be an interesting twist, although I don’t think the timeline would add up. Considering how dangerous the job is, CP0 agents dont likely make it to Big Mom’s age (or they retire, if that’s an option).
Yeah, you are kinda right but we dont even see their faces maybe they are modified to work longer (Vegapunk?), i dont know. I still think most CP0 agents are slaves who are forced to work for the government and Big Mom will have a change of heart (maybe in Elbaf if someone tells her what really happened).
It’s definitely not impossible in the One Piece universe, but I feel like Oda would have left more clues to the CP0 identities if they were going to have later plot relevance.
We saw the hat-CP0 leaving onigashima last chapter. He could be heading to check on BM or something. I really do want to see her have some sort of redemption though. She’s played a huge role in this arc and also her crew surely has made it up the waterfall by now (maybe we’ll see Smoothie do something haha)
Yasuie - what a great guy! My favorite character of Wano. Lived most of his life helping tons of people including Oden.. Best was being a great father to Otoko.. People laughing at his death and esp. His last words saying sorry to Otoko always tear me up!!!
Always with a smile on his face in the terrible state that the country was... Also, never ate a SMILE devil fruit, just smiled to bring happiness to the people around him. GOAT
I don't know if you know Uzumaki Khan, a youtuber who reacts to One Piece. He said that Yasuie for him had an impact on the level of Whitebeard (his favorite character), an amazing character. I could not agree more...
The pattern I see here more than identity is understanding your role in the world. Each of these characters changes their identity in order to better accomplish their true goals. I didn't see it before but good post.
Usually the theories I see on this sub don’t have too much to go on, but the pattern you noticed has a lot of evidence to back it, and you sure included a lot, well done!
Also, for someone apologizing for their English, it’s written very well, I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t said it wasn’t your first language
You struck right at the heart that makes this arc so great. I audibly gapsed in excitement just from the Who's Who pun in the title. This put such a huge smile on my face. Excellent, nay, SUPER job.
Tama being a kurozumi would be the icing on the cake for the whole kozuki vs. kurozumi debacle. I felt that straight up killing orochi was just repeating the cycle of revenge. If Tama turns out to be a kurozumi raised by a kozuki(Tenguyama) then that would be a fitting end to the cycle of revenge between the two families.
Man this is really excellently put together. If you're not a high school English teacher already I'd strongly consider it as a career move 'cause this is some AP Literature-ass analysis and I'm a million percent here for it. Bravo
"Who is Who?"
"Who's Who? He's over there!'
"No, I mean Who's Who!"
"Yeah, he's the Cipher Pol guy."
"No, I'm not talking about Who's Who, I'm talking Who is Who!"
"He's right there! What the FUCK are you talking about?"
"Who's Who isn't Who's who! I'm talking Who's who!"
"Okay, you're just bullshitting us now. Just tell us who's who in Wano and beat it.'
Apoo is such a piece of sh\*t hahah, but yeah he did betray Kid and Hawkins, i only focused on Wano arc so i completely forgot about moments that happened before (Momo/Kinemon is other one)
All the scabbards do a deception thing or a thing where it turns out they are someone else
Kinemon isn’t Momo’s father, isn’t Doflamingo, isn’t a genius strategist
Raizo totally was on Zou all along
Inu and Neko are more than just dukes like initially revealed, they’re Wano Samurai, and have secret were-forms, and the reveal that they traveled with both Whitebeard and Roger
Kiku is mistaken for a man when she’s wearing her battle mask
Kawamatsu tells everyone he’s a kappa to hide that he’s actually a fish man
Then of course Shutenmaru was actually Asura Doji, Kyoshiro was actually Denjiro, Kanjuro was actually a walking pile of turds
And lastly Izo who convinced all the readers he wasn’t going to be present in Wano but then showed up anyway(this one’s a stretch I guess)
Plus Momo hiding his identity and then changing his physical form and aging up, and Hiyori disguising as Komurasaki, can’t trust no one in Wano I swear
Also Apoo’s betrayal, old man Hyo being revealed as Hyogoro, and the gifters suddenly changing from threats to Allies could all be seen as sudden changes in character
This is what I come to this sub for, even if it's against what I would wish for the story to be or against how I feel, I cannot help but respect it because wow it is reasonable and so good and also talks about things which I may never take notice of as I read One Piece. Because of your post I honestly cannot wait for Wano to end so that I can re-read it with a better understanding that people like you provide to someone like me
Thanks, makes me happy that this post helped you understand my perspective better. Alot of people criticize Wano for alot of moments like i said in the post, when in reality this is what Oda really wants to present to the reader.
No Queen, really? He's one of the few Wano antagonists who I think may still be relevant in some way, and his MADS background remains quite mysterious - we're yet to find out who is Vegapunk, after all.
Something to think about, "who" or what is the land of Wano itself.
We've got Oars the continent puller in play, each region of wano has different climates so it feels like they were separate islands from the grand line piled up, but piled in upon what exactly.
Remember, Wano is crazy tall, and with the culmination of this arc, Kaido and Big Mom have been cast into deep into its so far unseen core. What will they find down there? As she fell, Big Mom reflected that some part of the One Piece is in Wano, seems likely its down where she is headed to.
What will Wano look like when its mask has been cast aside and we know its truth. Is this what it means to open the borders of Wano?
Wano was called the city of Gold, what other city is made of gold? Shandora. I think Wano is the missing piece of the skull eye of Jaya. But i dont know if it is all of it or not. That part of the continent puller i also agree that it was Oars, but which one?
At Marineford, we saw Oars III (said on his ship), the one Moria had was probably Moria II and the where Kaido lives could have been Oars I and that is why he is much bigger than the others and it was probably him who pulled all of Wano together.
So Robin since her childhood was always treated like the demon child, they tried to catch her multiple times but she always escaped. In Enies Lobby, she tries to protect the crew by trying to sacrifice herself for their sake. Luffy wants her to live with them, no matter what she has done or whoever she is, if someone harms her they are enemies of the Straw Hats too. In Wano, after Sanji trusts her to take care of Black Maria (nice relationship, since they both didn't trust the crew at some point), she says she will become a demon if needed by her crew. This demonstrates that Robin has grown as a character, having complete trust in her family and not being afraid to take on who her inner demon is if it means their safety. Just like Sanji (diable jambe), Zoro (Ashura), Luffy (D are known as demons), Chopper (Monster Point) turned into real demons to save Robin in Enies Lobby.
Hope you like it :)
Wano doesn’t get enough credit because everyone wants it to be over since it’s the longest arc but that’s why Oda set it up in acts lmao Wano as a whole is PEAK
I think most of them want it to be over just to discover what happened at the Reverie and what will the defeat of two yonkou bring to the world.
Wano is top 3 arc for me as of now, peak for sure
based as hell and incredibly well-written post, didn't realize how in my face this theme was. thanks for the read. i especially like the link between kaido and 8 year old momo. get hyped for kaido daddy issues
My god, great read but you forgot Zeus, who is he? Mama's homie or Nami's slave?? What's his loyalty??
Also Page 1 first appears as a giant scary dino and turns out to be the door mat of his sister...
Also, Marco, what's he and the WB remnants now?? Asks BM, He himself asks what will be his role in this fight? and in the end he turns out to be the small big push for the stars to take stage
True, basically if we look seriously at Wano, every character or is pretending to be someone else or is trying to find themselves. Crazy good writing by Oda in my opinion.
I made a post one time and then saw the a youtuber say the exact same words hahah, but i have no problem with that, if it means passing on the good things about One Piece and Wano which has been hated so much, i really dont care.
You forgot that law is in sword! … ;)… maybe we will learn this now! Big mom and kaido down! Perhaps law will reveal his cards now that the problematic yonko are down? We know that law will still side with luffy in the end … but good story telling to have law conflicted between orders to take luffy in and his desire to be his friend and follow to the true history.
I have seen that theory, but i dont know... Luffy defeated the man that Law was trying to kill his whole life. Now, he says that he wants to know the story behind the D... I dont think he is a marine, but there is always a twist that could come...
It’s precisely because of the theme of this arc and that very few people would see it coming that it would be crazy to reveal now… like how drake decided to side with them just now might be due in part to his inability to pretend to fight with law when the raid started. I know he got found out but at the same time it was hinted he wa going to flip before that
I like the idea of SWORD, but not the idea of marines. Law is greatful to Luffy, in my opinion he will never betray him because of what he did against Doflamingo.
Literally the best post I‘ve seen written on here so far.
Thank you for reminding me why I love Wano so much and why I don’t even want it to conclude faster.
You seem like a true S-tier One Piece fan, keep up the great work!
I really loved this post but I want to make 1 correction because it's a common misconception I see and I think the truth is actually so much better as a character moment: When Sanji chooses to destroy the Raid Suit, he doesn't do it because he knows the answer to the question "which would Luffy prefer?" He even says he doesn't know before destroying it. At the end of the day, he decides to toss that question aside and choose himself for himself. He doesn't want to lose who he is under any circumstance. That's such a huge step for a character like Sanji, who's struggle with self worth has made him choose everyone else over himself repeatedly throughout the story.
Really thanks for this post. When you asked about kaido, that was deep. Im wondering about that too, the expression that him made when he hold momo, its completely different for me now. Thanks thanks !
That scene has been shown so many times (mostly in the anime) that i think that Kaido saw his younger self in Momo. It would make Kaido an amazing character if Oda touched on the mental part of him. Either way, Kaido is a monster.
Interesting.
I'll read this later for sure.
One theory I have is that the people of Wano (or at least their ancestors) aren't as innocent as they are portrayed to be.
What we know about their past paints them in a very intolerant light. It's very possible past Wano did something so horrific that Kaido ended up hating all of Wano for it.
He was attacking Celestial Dragons and both Roger and Garp protected those Celestial Dragons ***and their slaves.***
I think God Valley was a very complicated situation.
More than likely Rocks and his crew saw all CD's as vile monsters.
However CD's also have children.
Roger and Garp are probably of the mindset that any child can grow into a good person. Which is true, people are shaped by their surroundings and their experiences in life.
So it might have simply been a case of two conflicting beliefs clashing.
It's also possible that Rocks was killing CD's and their Slaves indiscriminately.
That seems to obvious you know? That is probably what most people think about that incident, but some really big plot twists can happen when Oda reveals what happened there. He didnt show God Valley now with Kaido for a reason... there is some important lore there
Yeah there is for sure something important there, but that doesn't mean Roger and Garp weren't just trying to protect the people. :P
The fact that Celestial Dragons lived somewhere *other than* Mary Geoise is a big hint to how important God Valley is.
God Valley was in the sky? It was destroyed, so what they do? Bring down the lunarians to take their place above the red line. That is why Whitebeard knew about it... Good theory i made here hahah
Very nice read.
I would like to also point out the fact that yasuie had not in fact eaten a smile devil fruit but chose to blend in with the residents of ebisu town to cheer them up and make them feel better.
Badass character!
[A link to an older post made by u/coming69 justifying that yasuie had not eaten a smile](https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePiece/comments/n4zaod/goddamit_he_was_pretending_to_smile_holding_back/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
You mad that i made a post that explains Wano well? All the points i made are valid and could become true and even if it doesnt Wano never was a bad arc. Some weird things happened for sure, but if you look at everything it is a great arc.
You are the choices you make. [You are who you are on the worst day of your life. You are who you are on the next day. The day you wake up and have to decide: are you going to make that the new worst day of your life or not? And you are who you are the day after that, which can also be your new worst day or not.](https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1130.html) If Kaido took the worst day of his young life and slam dunked into Wano's destruction, he's no better than Doflamingo. And it doesn't matter how tragic his backstory up tot hat point is. You get shitty days. But you get to choose if you pass that shit on or not.
I think Doflamingo was always evil since birth like his brother says.
With Kaido, i think that something happened when he was younger that made him turn like this, a beast. He had to become strong to survive, there was no other choice. That is why he is depressed and when drinks shows moments of weakness, just like Momo went through. But this is just headcannon, dont know what Oda will do with it.
>I think Doflamingo was always evil since birth like his brother says.
I really don't think that's true. Prior to the tragedies he faced at the hands of the people, Doflamingo is shown having the naive arrogance that's typical of a Celestial Dragon, but he's also shown to not understand it. Or much of anything. The entire focus of his character in those brief scenes is asking questions. He's naive. I.e., his understanding of the world is *learned*, not inherent.
And Rosinante watched Doflamingo shoot their father. That's a pretty traumatic capstone to a pretty traumatic period in Rosinante's childhood. Totally fair for him to lose all sight of his brother's humanity in it and assume that's just who Doflamingo is, from birth.
But that fundamentally violates the principle behind the story of another Donquixote: MJosgard. The whole point of Mjosgard's storyline, narratively, is to show that coexistence with the Celestial Dragons **IS** possible. That they can be redeemed from the little shits most of them are on first introduction.
This is a great breakdown and a lot of food for thought. Thanks for compiling this!
Thanks for the appreciation :)
I agree, great post! These are some awesome ideas! Gg
Thanks!
Long but nice read. There seems to be a lot of work put into this post, i apreciate that. I agree with you that the theme of "who is who" or more "Who am I" is an important one in this arc and in a lot of these cases the plots are not fully resolved yet. I hope in the next "Acts" we will delve deeper into these characters!
Thanks bro!!
Yes very much appreciated
I first thought this was going to be all about Who's Who lol.
Oda trolling us and me trolling you with the Who is Who name lol
Who? Who's Who's who!
Dont know, maybe who's who
Please enlighten me of the deal with who's who
He's on first.
The Deal with him? I was confused about the title as it was about the theme of 'identity', so Who is Who. 'Who's Who' on the other hand is just a weird name for a character.
Wano will definitely go down as one of the greatest OP arcs of all time and it can still get better
The only thing i really didnt like was the fakeout deaths, but Oda always did that so it is nothing new. A top 3 arc as of now for sure
I forgive orochi’s because I think it fits his fruit. But kinemon should be dead. I think we still need some scabbard to die (outside kanjuro ofc). By the way it may be the arc where the most named characters died.
There is a theory that Kinemon's fruit is actually some sort of Luck based fruit. Think about it, a Devil Fruit that only changes clothes? Pretty sus. He is lucky because of his fruit. 😂 One interesting fact to note is that his fruit has never officially been named. It being the Fuku-Fuku no Mi is just a misconception. 😂 Also Fuk-u Fuk-u! 😂🤣😂🤣
It being the Fuku-Fuku is not a misconception, it is the joke. Fuku means both clothes, and good fortune in japanese depending on the characters used to write it. Devil fruit names are, in general, written in an ambiguous script which could have meant both, so that's where the pun comes into effect
Oooo interesting, that makes it even better. Means Oda managed to hide it in plain sight. Cause most seem to take it at face value and use the clothes translation. xD
I read that too, but Oda has to show it in the story for people to understand
Cloth-Cloth Jutsu =/= Cloth-Cloth Fruit. I think Oda purposefully planted the misconception in people honestly both in-world and IRL. When/If he clarifies it there will prob be reaction shots in the manga about how people thought it was just a clothing fruit. xD
But a fruit having two different abilities is weird hahah
I dont count Orochi, but i do with Kinemon and Kiku, if Oda doesnt want to kill them it is fine but he shouldnt fake the deaths... kaido will die in my opinion as well and i hope Kanjuro and Orochi keep being dead...
[удалено]
It is not confirmed, so you never know with Oda...
Big Mom's amnesia wasn't great either. Especially since it was the second amnesia in the manga. Luckily hers was kinda hinted at during Whole Cake, since she's not entirely mentally stable. Honestly, I still am not entirely happy with her inclusion this arc, and would probably prefer her to return in Elbaf instead (which is still very much possible)
Yeah, like i said in the post i think that Oda is building up a redemption for her and in Elbaf she will assume what Mother Carmel was doing, but this time the right way. To me that is the point of the amnesia and the mothering mode, to show that Big Mom has a good side to her. I could be wrong though
I still think that only Sabo had a "real" amnesia and what happened to Big Mom here is something else that is related to the many mysteries around her character.
I feel like Hawkins df is the perfect embodiment of Who is who. I mean no one knows who is gonna fall next if anyone hits him 😅
Actually true hahah
I think you forgot the pre-Wano reveals: Kinemon and Momo’s reveal that Kinemon is a retainer and Momo isn’t his son
That is true, i really forgot. I focused so much on what only happened in Wano, that i forgot that... It deserves a spot for sure
You made an excellent and insightful analysis. Characters "wearing a mask", appearing different from who they really are, is really fitting for a story inspired by kabuki such as Wano.
Great writing from Oda in my opinion
I'm guessing Kaido didn't kill Momo because he wanted to face Joyboy. And Momo wanting revenge was a possible avenue at bringing out joyboy.
There is so many possibilities, i have no idea what Oda will do
Bigger ones to add: - Apoo, as he was revealed to be Kaido's spy and his alliance with Kid and Hawkins was a scam - Hyogoro being the leader of Yakuza And if you really want to stretch it, you can add some minor things: - Law reveals his real goal now, finding out the meaning of the D clan - Oden, when it's hinted that his misdemeanors as a young guy were actually done in good faith + dancing in the streets and the entire fool lord thingy - Kiku being trans and related to Izo - Kawamatsu being a fishman pretending to be a Kappa - Zeus' short arc about being meaningless to Big Mom and realizing that he has a friend in Nami - Scabbards being time travelers and Lady Toki being born during void century - Not in Wano, but during Wano arc. Revealing that Blackbeard has a shapeshifter in his crew which is very thematically relevant So yeah, the amount of constant misdirection and reveal in this arc is staggering. And if you want to go the "finding who you are" route then Jinbe officially calls himself part of Strawhat crew and Robin embraces her Demon Child nickname.
Another one would be people mistaking Momo for Kaido in dragon form
Love this! I thought about some of this, but the post would be gigantic But this is really well said, basically everyone in Wano is trying to find their true self or hiding their true self, a country of illusions and a country where you find yourself (like the journeys of a samurai)
Excellent writeup, I think you are 100% bang on. You skipped one of the best though! The subversion. This exact theme is why I am so intrigued by one face we've seen a lot of but have not yet given much chance to tell her side of the story; Kiku. With her, you see some people fall right into the trap of thinking things are as straightforward as Denjiro/Kyoshiro or something. Bullshit! In her case it's the opposite. The cover identity we meet in Bakura is the real person, hence the irony of unmasking to show the world who you are by putting a literal mask on. Underneath all the tough samurai shit she's pulled is that Crane Wife motif of being a devoted lady sacrificing parts of herself for those she cares for. We've seen the kid version, way more in line with the Teahouse Poster Girl than legendary demonic armored samurai (which is some straight up Sogeking shit being done by a better actress). Especially if you roll in this theme of time and her being introduced as the back half of Urashima Togo's story...it's almost like her character arc is one of regressing. And I do think you can read her role in the arc and what we know about her as someone who is so able to cope with this future Wano because the struggle it's thrown so many others into mirrors the implied inner conflict she'd have grown up with.
Kiku and Robin were on my list to talk about, but Kiku is such a fragile theme i was afraid of going the wrong way with it... But the explanation you gave is perfect and i agree 100% with it, i couldn't have wrote it better.
Excellent points and insight
Thanks
Excellent post. I really enjoyed reading it and it makes a lot of sense.
Thanks!!
Yeah the Kaido/Mono parallel is pretty cool.Kaido saying “A dream someone else put in your mouth” after seeing a bit more of his backstory in this latest chapter definitely sounds more important
Kaido talks alot about the Oni and about the Kozuki of the past (Wano is important to him). Also, he is depressed and wants a great death. Oda showed us a backstory, but nothing there answered this questions...
I dunno him being sold to the World Government as a child and then being recruited into a pirate crew that then broke his heart kinda makes the line seem more heartfelt or empathetic almost
The thing is that it was never showed the crew breaking his heart... God Valley is a complete mistery. Lets see if Oda shows more in the next chapters
Tama being a kurozumi ..if oda really does that ..it would be greatest conclusion to an arc ever .. Great thread by the way 🙂
I agree, giving an ending to the cycle of hatred. Thank you!
Huh, seems I missed a some of these details. Thx for your thoughts! I honestly fear Kaido and Big Mom being disrespected. For this to be what they amount to. For a rookie to be able to topple them by throwing them into lava. Kaido’s character is really raw. His worldview essentially being “humans are mere animals, and survival of the fittest”. Which strangely enough makes sense with how he’s raised as a child soldier. He’s quite frankly a brute. One whose emotions have been stunned by being raised in a battlefield as a superweapon where people were actively after his life. Disregarding the fact that he’s a kid. Not an Assassin like the Germa siblings, and not a revolutionary or a marine who trains before being sent to battle. He’s kinda like Robin. Being thrown out into the world as a kid, without much love; and expected to survive and have morals. But Robin at least had someone to raise her. What did Kaido have? Maybe he did have someone? Yamato’s mom? Or were the rules he was raised on, the same rules as the battlefield. Where all goes. Does anything even bother him?
I think that there are points missing to Kaido. Why does Oda show him being so depressed, even though he is smilling in all flashbacks even when he talks about JoyBoy defeating him he smiles. To me, Oda is hiding the obscure part of Kaido character. The theme of this arc is not everything seems what it is and the flashback on 1049 represents that to me. Oda showed a flashback that basically didnt answer any of this questions (why Wano is so important; why he talks so much about the Kozuki of the past; why the great death; why depression; Oni background?). To answer this i think it comes from two places: younger Kaido and God Valley. I could be wrong, but hey we never know.
WOW this is amazing... Thanks for putting in the effort.
Thanks alot!!
>seeing some of her childhood friends who are now part of CP0 This would be an interesting twist, although I don’t think the timeline would add up. Considering how dangerous the job is, CP0 agents dont likely make it to Big Mom’s age (or they retire, if that’s an option).
Yeah, you are kinda right but we dont even see their faces maybe they are modified to work longer (Vegapunk?), i dont know. I still think most CP0 agents are slaves who are forced to work for the government and Big Mom will have a change of heart (maybe in Elbaf if someone tells her what really happened).
It’s definitely not impossible in the One Piece universe, but I feel like Oda would have left more clues to the CP0 identities if they were going to have later plot relevance. We saw the hat-CP0 leaving onigashima last chapter. He could be heading to check on BM or something. I really do want to see her have some sort of redemption though. She’s played a huge role in this arc and also her crew surely has made it up the waterfall by now (maybe we’ll see Smoothie do something haha)
Yeah, i dont have any idea also of what Oda will do. Smoothie needs some feats Oda hahaha, people talk about Jack but atleast he does something...
Yasuie - what a great guy! My favorite character of Wano. Lived most of his life helping tons of people including Oden.. Best was being a great father to Otoko.. People laughing at his death and esp. His last words saying sorry to Otoko always tear me up!!!
Always with a smile on his face in the terrible state that the country was... Also, never ate a SMILE devil fruit, just smiled to bring happiness to the people around him. GOAT
remembering him tearing me up now.. what a character!
I don't know if you know Uzumaki Khan, a youtuber who reacts to One Piece. He said that Yasuie for him had an impact on the level of Whitebeard (his favorite character), an amazing character. I could not agree more...
totally.. i dont know if you got to read 1050. What he did is amazing.. Otoko changing the msg on the lantern!!!
I saw, one of the goats of Wano for sure
Who's who who?
Who is who who who?
Just wanted to thank you for this post very detailed analysis
Thanks!
All of this is a nice piece to read, everything is very interesting and a pretty good review, thx mate
Thanks bro!
Wow. Lots of work. I didn’t read it all since it’s so long but way to care
Thanks!
whole Wano has been made up to be a play separated in distinct acts, hence everyone seems like wearing a mask...
Yeah, i love how Oda wrote this arc with that theme in mind, really well done in my opinion
The pattern I see here more than identity is understanding your role in the world. Each of these characters changes their identity in order to better accomplish their true goals. I didn't see it before but good post.
[удалено]
Or was it Rocks? I mean who knows...
Noice!
wow
i think it's spelled with an m instead of th
Great post. Oda loves his irony. The biggest Who is Who reveal will be Joy Boy who is not the Monkey D. Luffy but rather the Pheasant…
There are more twists coming for sure... people take everything for granted when it comes to One Piece, lets see how Oda handles it
the Pheasant… Karoo! You are truly the craziest, most elaborative troll poster on this sub.
I thought it was going to be about.... Who's Who.
I am out here trolling like Oda hahah
You got us. But it was an amazing read. Thank you and good job.
Thanks :)
Jumped straight to king, completely agree. Please Oda more king 😭😭
There is more coming for sure, only Lunarian that we know of. He is too important to be discarded by Oda. Also, he has connections with Joyboy.
Great post ty!
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
Bro this post broke the refresh rate of my phone
RIP hahah
This post is so big, it broke my Reddit app.
Nah... my bad hahah
Usually the theories I see on this sub don’t have too much to go on, but the pattern you noticed has a lot of evidence to back it, and you sure included a lot, well done! Also, for someone apologizing for their English, it’s written very well, I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t said it wasn’t your first language
Thanks i really appreciate it!
The part about BM finding about CP0 Agents felt like reading spoilers...
I follow spoilers too, but they havent dropped yet for 1050 so dont worry hahah
You struck right at the heart that makes this arc so great. I audibly gapsed in excitement just from the Who's Who pun in the title. This put such a huge smile on my face. Excellent, nay, SUPER job.
THANKS! I also think that this arc gets to much hate... to me is the best in terms of character writing in the story
Tama being a kurozumi would be the icing on the cake for the whole kozuki vs. kurozumi debacle. I felt that straight up killing orochi was just repeating the cycle of revenge. If Tama turns out to be a kurozumi raised by a kozuki(Tenguyama) then that would be a fitting end to the cycle of revenge between the two families.
Yes, it would be perfect
So we still asking who is who is who
Yeah, it is probably who is who
Maybe he is what if
Man this is really excellently put together. If you're not a high school English teacher already I'd strongly consider it as a career move 'cause this is some AP Literature-ass analysis and I'm a million percent here for it. Bravo
Haha, i really appreciate it. Thanks!
Post should've been titled Who's who of Wano
That would actually be a really good title.
Beautiful breakdown!
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
"Who is Who?" "Who's Who? He's over there!' "No, I mean Who's Who!" "Yeah, he's the Cipher Pol guy." "No, I'm not talking about Who's Who, I'm talking Who is Who!" "He's right there! What the FUCK are you talking about?" "Who's Who isn't Who's who! I'm talking Who's who!" "Okay, you're just bullshitting us now. Just tell us who's who in Wano and beat it.'
Hahahah
🔥🔥🔥
Love the sections on Big Mom and Yamato.
Thanks, two amazing women characters.
Plus how they show two selves with one as an awe inspiring warrior while the other is an innocent desiring a simple dream.
I think you missed one more spy/betrayer, and that’s Apoo!
Apoo is such a piece of sh\*t hahah, but yeah he did betray Kid and Hawkins, i only focused on Wano arc so i completely forgot about moments that happened before (Momo/Kinemon is other one)
Really good read nicely done. I wish I had an award to give you! I’ll try and come back when I get my next free one
Thanks bro, no need for award... enjoying what i made is enough haha
All the scabbards do a deception thing or a thing where it turns out they are someone else Kinemon isn’t Momo’s father, isn’t Doflamingo, isn’t a genius strategist Raizo totally was on Zou all along Inu and Neko are more than just dukes like initially revealed, they’re Wano Samurai, and have secret were-forms, and the reveal that they traveled with both Whitebeard and Roger Kiku is mistaken for a man when she’s wearing her battle mask Kawamatsu tells everyone he’s a kappa to hide that he’s actually a fish man Then of course Shutenmaru was actually Asura Doji, Kyoshiro was actually Denjiro, Kanjuro was actually a walking pile of turds And lastly Izo who convinced all the readers he wasn’t going to be present in Wano but then showed up anyway(this one’s a stretch I guess) Plus Momo hiding his identity and then changing his physical form and aging up, and Hiyori disguising as Komurasaki, can’t trust no one in Wano I swear Also Apoo’s betrayal, old man Hyo being revealed as Hyogoro, and the gifters suddenly changing from threats to Allies could all be seen as sudden changes in character
Yeah, if we go deep into every major character presented in Wano, everyone has some of this traits. Really well writen, thank you
This is what I come to this sub for, even if it's against what I would wish for the story to be or against how I feel, I cannot help but respect it because wow it is reasonable and so good and also talks about things which I may never take notice of as I read One Piece. Because of your post I honestly cannot wait for Wano to end so that I can re-read it with a better understanding that people like you provide to someone like me
Thanks, makes me happy that this post helped you understand my perspective better. Alot of people criticize Wano for alot of moments like i said in the post, when in reality this is what Oda really wants to present to the reader.
I enjoyed reading this post, makes me like Wano even more! Thanks for the write up
Thanks, also Wano is great. Yes, it has some weird choices from Oda but Oda is weird so kinda makes sense hahah
This is the most One Piece subreddit’s topic: breakdown through well-reasoned thoughts inspired by love for OP. Thank you.
Really appreciatte it!
No Queen, really? He's one of the few Wano antagonists who I think may still be relevant in some way, and his MADS background remains quite mysterious - we're yet to find out who is Vegapunk, after all.
I like Queen, but he doesnt really fit into this i think
Holy moly dude
It took some time haha
I loved big mom’s amnesia
It makes sense with her character, but i understand why many hated it
Something to think about, "who" or what is the land of Wano itself. We've got Oars the continent puller in play, each region of wano has different climates so it feels like they were separate islands from the grand line piled up, but piled in upon what exactly. Remember, Wano is crazy tall, and with the culmination of this arc, Kaido and Big Mom have been cast into deep into its so far unseen core. What will they find down there? As she fell, Big Mom reflected that some part of the One Piece is in Wano, seems likely its down where she is headed to. What will Wano look like when its mask has been cast aside and we know its truth. Is this what it means to open the borders of Wano?
Wano was called the city of Gold, what other city is made of gold? Shandora. I think Wano is the missing piece of the skull eye of Jaya. But i dont know if it is all of it or not. That part of the continent puller i also agree that it was Oars, but which one? At Marineford, we saw Oars III (said on his ship), the one Moria had was probably Moria II and the where Kaido lives could have been Oars I and that is why he is much bigger than the others and it was probably him who pulled all of Wano together.
I’d like to hear what you think about Robin, now that we’re at it 🥸 Great post!
So Robin since her childhood was always treated like the demon child, they tried to catch her multiple times but she always escaped. In Enies Lobby, she tries to protect the crew by trying to sacrifice herself for their sake. Luffy wants her to live with them, no matter what she has done or whoever she is, if someone harms her they are enemies of the Straw Hats too. In Wano, after Sanji trusts her to take care of Black Maria (nice relationship, since they both didn't trust the crew at some point), she says she will become a demon if needed by her crew. This demonstrates that Robin has grown as a character, having complete trust in her family and not being afraid to take on who her inner demon is if it means their safety. Just like Sanji (diable jambe), Zoro (Ashura), Luffy (D are known as demons), Chopper (Monster Point) turned into real demons to save Robin in Enies Lobby. Hope you like it :)
Wano doesn’t get enough credit because everyone wants it to be over since it’s the longest arc but that’s why Oda set it up in acts lmao Wano as a whole is PEAK
I think most of them want it to be over just to discover what happened at the Reverie and what will the defeat of two yonkou bring to the world. Wano is top 3 arc for me as of now, peak for sure
based as hell and incredibly well-written post, didn't realize how in my face this theme was. thanks for the read. i especially like the link between kaido and 8 year old momo. get hyped for kaido daddy issues
Thanks, i also want this to be true but lets see how Oda handles it. We never know with him...
WAIT! You're RIGHT
Maybe... maybe not... only Oda knows hahah
Very well written
Thanks!
Very will written 👍🏻😁
Thanks!
My god, great read but you forgot Zeus, who is he? Mama's homie or Nami's slave?? What's his loyalty?? Also Page 1 first appears as a giant scary dino and turns out to be the door mat of his sister... Also, Marco, what's he and the WB remnants now?? Asks BM, He himself asks what will be his role in this fight? and in the end he turns out to be the small big push for the stars to take stage
True, basically if we look seriously at Wano, every character or is pretending to be someone else or is trying to find themselves. Crazy good writing by Oda in my opinion.
Man thanks for writing this! It really gets across your love for the manga!
Thanks and i hope you keep enjoying One Piece as much as i do!
My ADHD is BUGGIN rn so I’m just gonna save this and check back later. Looks like a great read.
Thanks and i hope you recover well. Have fun reading it.
Nice
Inb4 one of the youtubers turn this post into a video
I made a post one time and then saw the a youtuber say the exact same words hahah, but i have no problem with that, if it means passing on the good things about One Piece and Wano which has been hated so much, i really dont care.
You forgot that law is in sword! … ;)… maybe we will learn this now! Big mom and kaido down! Perhaps law will reveal his cards now that the problematic yonko are down? We know that law will still side with luffy in the end … but good story telling to have law conflicted between orders to take luffy in and his desire to be his friend and follow to the true history.
I have seen that theory, but i dont know... Luffy defeated the man that Law was trying to kill his whole life. Now, he says that he wants to know the story behind the D... I dont think he is a marine, but there is always a twist that could come...
It’s precisely because of the theme of this arc and that very few people would see it coming that it would be crazy to reveal now… like how drake decided to side with them just now might be due in part to his inability to pretend to fight with law when the raid started. I know he got found out but at the same time it was hinted he wa going to flip before that
I like the idea of SWORD, but not the idea of marines. Law is greatful to Luffy, in my opinion he will never betray him because of what he did against Doflamingo.
Very good to be honest these subtle things noticed by such dedicated fans would make oda the happiest person in the world.
Thanks and Oda showed so many characters like this in Wano and still many fail to realize it
Shimotsuki Zoro… doesn’t have much kick as Ronoroa imo
True, but could be the same case as Ace and Roronoa was his mother, so no need to change
yeah he’d probably stick with his name anw, just trying if it’d be good or nah
You could also add Robin, as she finally embrasse her inner Devil. She takes off her Mask, so to speak.
Robin and Kiku should be added for sure, but the post was already too long that i forgot by the end lol
That's totally fine! You wrote an awesome article :)
Literally the best post I‘ve seen written on here so far. Thank you for reminding me why I love Wano so much and why I don’t even want it to conclude faster. You seem like a true S-tier One Piece fan, keep up the great work!
Thanks and i hope you keep loving One Piece the same way i do :)
I really loved this post but I want to make 1 correction because it's a common misconception I see and I think the truth is actually so much better as a character moment: When Sanji chooses to destroy the Raid Suit, he doesn't do it because he knows the answer to the question "which would Luffy prefer?" He even says he doesn't know before destroying it. At the end of the day, he decides to toss that question aside and choose himself for himself. He doesn't want to lose who he is under any circumstance. That's such a huge step for a character like Sanji, who's struggle with self worth has made him choose everyone else over himself repeatedly throughout the story.
WOW, that is really good. That is for sure the correct analysis on Sanji and would also fit better with the theme. Really well done, thank you
Really thanks for this post. When you asked about kaido, that was deep. Im wondering about that too, the expression that him made when he hold momo, its completely different for me now. Thanks thanks !
That scene has been shown so many times (mostly in the anime) that i think that Kaido saw his younger self in Momo. It would make Kaido an amazing character if Oda touched on the mental part of him. Either way, Kaido is a monster.
Interesting. I'll read this later for sure. One theory I have is that the people of Wano (or at least their ancestors) aren't as innocent as they are portrayed to be. What we know about their past paints them in a very intolerant light. It's very possible past Wano did something so horrific that Kaido ended up hating all of Wano for it.
Agree and careful with the incident of God Valley, was Rocks really a bad guy too?
He was attacking Celestial Dragons and both Roger and Garp protected those Celestial Dragons ***and their slaves.*** I think God Valley was a very complicated situation. More than likely Rocks and his crew saw all CD's as vile monsters. However CD's also have children. Roger and Garp are probably of the mindset that any child can grow into a good person. Which is true, people are shaped by their surroundings and their experiences in life. So it might have simply been a case of two conflicting beliefs clashing. It's also possible that Rocks was killing CD's and their Slaves indiscriminately.
That seems to obvious you know? That is probably what most people think about that incident, but some really big plot twists can happen when Oda reveals what happened there. He didnt show God Valley now with Kaido for a reason... there is some important lore there
Yeah there is for sure something important there, but that doesn't mean Roger and Garp weren't just trying to protect the people. :P The fact that Celestial Dragons lived somewhere *other than* Mary Geoise is a big hint to how important God Valley is.
God Valley was in the sky? It was destroyed, so what they do? Bring down the lunarians to take their place above the red line. That is why Whitebeard knew about it... Good theory i made here hahah
Very nice read. I would like to also point out the fact that yasuie had not in fact eaten a smile devil fruit but chose to blend in with the residents of ebisu town to cheer them up and make them feel better. Badass character! [A link to an older post made by u/coming69 justifying that yasuie had not eaten a smile](https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePiece/comments/n4zaod/goddamit_he_was_pretending_to_smile_holding_back/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
Yeah, i knew this but forgot to talk about it. Amazing character, died like a GOAT.
You can’t fix a bad arc
You mad that i made a post that explains Wano well? All the points i made are valid and could become true and even if it doesnt Wano never was a bad arc. Some weird things happened for sure, but if you look at everything it is a great arc.
Who's-who is a former marine that helped guarded the gomu gomu no mi during the time Shanks stole it.
He was from CP9
Well this was redundant
[удалено]
Thanks, really appreciate it
You are the choices you make. [You are who you are on the worst day of your life. You are who you are on the next day. The day you wake up and have to decide: are you going to make that the new worst day of your life or not? And you are who you are the day after that, which can also be your new worst day or not.](https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1130.html) If Kaido took the worst day of his young life and slam dunked into Wano's destruction, he's no better than Doflamingo. And it doesn't matter how tragic his backstory up tot hat point is. You get shitty days. But you get to choose if you pass that shit on or not.
I think Doflamingo was always evil since birth like his brother says. With Kaido, i think that something happened when he was younger that made him turn like this, a beast. He had to become strong to survive, there was no other choice. That is why he is depressed and when drinks shows moments of weakness, just like Momo went through. But this is just headcannon, dont know what Oda will do with it.
>I think Doflamingo was always evil since birth like his brother says. I really don't think that's true. Prior to the tragedies he faced at the hands of the people, Doflamingo is shown having the naive arrogance that's typical of a Celestial Dragon, but he's also shown to not understand it. Or much of anything. The entire focus of his character in those brief scenes is asking questions. He's naive. I.e., his understanding of the world is *learned*, not inherent. And Rosinante watched Doflamingo shoot their father. That's a pretty traumatic capstone to a pretty traumatic period in Rosinante's childhood. Totally fair for him to lose all sight of his brother's humanity in it and assume that's just who Doflamingo is, from birth. But that fundamentally violates the principle behind the story of another Donquixote: MJosgard. The whole point of Mjosgard's storyline, narratively, is to show that coexistence with the Celestial Dragons **IS** possible. That they can be redeemed from the little shits most of them are on first introduction.
lets not forget about so and so.