Summary
One of Eiichiro Oda’s first editors recently released an image ofOne Piece’sprototype characters, one of which foreshadowed the series’ biggest twist 30 years in advance.One Piecehas become one of the most prominent animated series of all time, representing not only the Shōnen genre but the anime industry as a whole. While it’s difficult to imagine the Straw Hat Crew any differently, a 30-year-old prototype of Oda’s masterpiece has been circulating on social media, proving that while the story could have been much different,the heart ofOne Piecehas always been present.
The character sheets posted on@pewpiece’s Twitter (X) accountgive fans a glimpse into much more than the Straw Hat’s original designs. For example, long before the characters’ designs were finalized, Zoro and Sanji (named Ryuma and Romeo at the time) were known for their constant bickering, as seen at the bottom right of the second page.
In addition, althoughOne Pieceis famous for its goofy art style and humor,Oda has consistently ensured that the heart of the story remains prominent, as proved by the prototype characters he drew when he was just 19 years old.
30 years ago, Oda already had the storytelling abilities of an industry veteran. His first prototype of the series fans know and love,Forward,follows the adventures of Monkey D. Pao, an optimistic pirate boy whose bandana resembles the iconicGomu Gomu no Mi Fruit.Along the way, he meets a group of misfits, who later join his crew: a girl-thief, Rezel, Ryuma, a master Samurai, and Romeo, a knight of the King. However, a minor detail included in the bottom corner of the drawing actuallypredictedOne Piece’sbiggest twist 30 years in advance: The Rubber Tree Spirit.
30-Year-Old One Piece Prototype Was Recently Found, and the Straw Hats Have Never Looked Better
Forward, One Piece’s prototype, follows the story of Monkey D. Pao, a young pirate created by Eiichiro Oda at only 19-years-old.
How a Scrapped One Piece Character Inspired the Series’ Most Important Figurehead
The Rubber Tree Spirit, Found on an Early One Piece Character Sheet, May Have Predicted the Appearance of Nika
An additional character is depicted in the bottom left corner of the character sheet’s first page. The name “Rubber Tree Spirit” is written just above the man’s head, along with his age: a walloping 5008 years old. Furthermore, like countless otherOne Piececharacters, the Rubber Tree Spirit is also given a distinct laugh, indicated by the interjection, “WA HA HA HA HA HA.”
While the drawing is seemingly insignificant compared to the series’ stars, such as Monkey D. Pao or Ryuma,the Spirit of the Rubber Tree may have foreshadowedOne Piece’sbiggest twist: Nika andthe Devil Fruit Awakenings.
During the iconic Wano Country arc inOne Piece,Luffy awakens the full potentialof his Devil Fruit powers at last.As a result, he was transformed into the powerful Sun God, Nika, who gives its power to the Gomu Gomu Fruit, originally called the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Now that Luffy possesses the same abilities as Nika, he is able to do the unthinkable and turn imagination into reality.
The Gomu Gomu No Mi’s Ancient History: Nika the Sun God and the Rubber Tree Spirit
The Origins of Monkey D. Luffy’s Rubber Powers
While most secrets of the Devil Fruits still have to be unveiled, it’s been hinted, especially in connection to their “awakening”, that they carry the spirit and inherited will from the past, including some mythological beings. Nika was a mythical warrior with the power of a rubber-like body and the ability to spread joy. His story, documented in ancient texts, has been largely erased by the World Government.
While the Spirit of the Rubber Tree was scrapped in the earliest stages ofOne Piece’sstory,the idea of Luffy gaining the powers of an ancient beingremains prominent in the plot. Thus far,the Nika fruit has been owned by the mysterious Joyboy, before making its way to Monkey D. Luffy.
The story ofOne Pieceis engaging, uplifting, and meaningful. However, these qualities are not the only thing that makes the story so beloved by anime fans worldwide.It is the care and attention to detail that Oda has given to his characters and world-buildingthat makes his masterpiece stand tall above the rest. 30 years in advance, Oda was already planning the complex background of Monkey D. Luffy’s abilities, which would later becomeOne Piece’smost significant plot twist.
Source:@pewpiece on Twitter (X)
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
