One Piece’s New Twist Teases Luffy May Fall Into Cliché “Chosen One” Trap

Ever since the introduction of Gear Five, or rather ever since One Piece introduced the very concept of the Will of D, fans have feared that Luffy may fall into the cliché “Chosen One” trope that has plagued shonen anime and manga for years. Unfortunately, the Elbaf Arc, particularly the revelation of the Harley texts and the newly revealed mural on Jewel Tree Adam have only further confirmed fans’ fears. Chapter 1138 of One Piece revealed that the Harley texts have been split up into three stanzas dubbed the first, second, and third worlds, with the last one supposedly being a prophecy about the future.

The Third World stanza from One Piece’s Harley Texts particularly lays out Luffy’s fate in the series. It’s here that he’s portrayed as the sun god who will laugh and dance while leading the world “to its end,” eventually bringing about the new dawn. While Luffy has had prophecies foretold about him before, the Harley texts, more than anything, seal his fate as the chosen one in One Piece. This is on top of his position as Joyboy’s successor, who will be at the center of this unfolding apocalyptic conflict that has been brewing for 800 years whether he likes it or not.

One Piece‘s Harley Texts Seal Luffy’s Fate in the Final Saga

A huge part of One Piece‘s initial appeal is the fact that Luffy starts out as a silly, stretchy boy with a dream and plenty of gumption, using his imagination and force of will to make his way through the East Blue, and then the Grand Line. Though likable, Luffy starts out fairly ordinary, that is until fans learn more about his name and the Will of D on Drum Island. Kureha’s words first sow this seed of inherited will and fate and as fans learn more about Luffy’s exceptional family members and Shanks, the more it becomes clear that Luffy isn’t as unassuming as he seems.

While the parallels to Roger were quite enjoyable, it was Joyboy’s introduction that truly sparked concerns about Luffy too falling down the “chosen one” trap. These suspicions were all but confirmed with the debut of Gear Five and the Wano Arc revealing the truth about the Gum-Gum Fruit being the Legendary Nika Fruit instead, which rightfully caused quite a bit of controversy due to this very reason. Luffy’s awakening at Onigashima and Zunesha’s words at the time further confirmed that Luffy was the new Joyboy, simultaneously setting up the expectation that his path from then on would be a pre-determined one.

As such, the prophecy within the Harley texts sadly only seals Luffy’s fate even further with the mural even depicting Luffy going up against what clearly appears to be Imu and the World Government even though he currently has no compelling personal motivations to do so. The text describing the Third Word also notably refers to the day of promise previously mentioned by King Neptune during Fishman Island which includes an unfulfilled promise by Joyboy which Luffy is evidently meant to now fulfill in his stead.

[RELATED: One Piece: All 26 Easter Eggs in Elbaf’s Mural You May Have Missed]

As the current user of the Nika Fruit and the first to awaken it in centuries, Luffy, whether he likes it or not has become the so-called “sun god” in the Harley who dances and laughs, which is clearly referring to how Luffy laughs uncontrollably when in Gear Five. Although it is unclear what the Harley could mean by “guiding the world to its end” just yet, this part of the text could perhaps tie in with Madam Sharley’s prophecy about Luffy destroying Fishman Island though only time will tell what exact shape these prophecies will take and how they will come together to shape Luffy’s actions in the Final Saga.

One Piece Didn’t Need The Chosen One Trope

By itself, the Chosen One trope isn’t inherently bad, and if there is anyone who can pull it off well, it most definitely is Eiichiro Oda. That said, in the last decade or so, the trope has been overused in shonen media to the point of becoming incredibly cliché, much like the “protagonist becomes a host to an evil entity” trope currently is.

At the same time, when implemented incorrectly, the Chosen One trope can feel like a cop-out, becoming a cheap means of adding depth to an uninteresting character. In Luffy’s case, however, simple as his character may be on the surface, his unique moral code makes him more than interesting enough, making the Chosen One trope feel unnecessary in One Piece.

This is especially true given Luffy wants nothing to do with Sun God Nika. Even most recently in Chapter 1136 when Luffy finally hears a description of Nika from Jarul and realizes why everyone’s been comparing him to Nika, Luffy simply states, “But that has nothing to do with me,” which best sums up his feelings in the matter. More than anything, it is quite ironic that a character such as Luffy who places such strong emphasis on freedom and free will cannot be free of something as simple as his own fate and destiny in the end.

One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.