Even decades later, Master Roshi remains one of the most beloved characters in the Dragon Ball franchise, known best for being a wise, powerful, and often perverted mentor who shaped Goku into the warrior he is. Many popular shonen anime like Naruto have since adopted this concept of a perverted old man who is wise and strong beyond his years. Finally, One Piece now also has its own insanely strong grandpa, figuratively, in the form of Scopper Gaban, whose reputation and feats speak for themselves.
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Chapter 1139 of One Piece finally introduces Roger’s trusty left-hand man Scopper Gaban, revealing him to be the mysterious silhouette lurking around Elbaf since the beginning of the arc. Interestingly, Gaban, with his long grey mustache and beard, sunglasses, floral printed shirt, and lovestruck demeanor has instantly struck fans as strongly reminiscent of Master Roshi from Dragon Ball, and it is likely Gaban could end up playing a similar role in the One Piece‘s story going forward.
One Piece Finally Reveals Scopper Gaban’s Mountainous Strength
After years of endless speculation, One Piece has finally introduced, or rather re-introduced Scopper Gaban, revealing what the former Roger Pirate has been up to since his captain’s execution. Chapter 1138 not only reveals Gaban’s present-day appearance but also gives fans a teaser of his strength and the reputation that goes along with it, and it’s safe to say Gaban more than lives up to the expectations built up around him over the years.
While Luffy and his group encounter Gaban firsthand at Aurust Castle, the chapter simultaneously sees Oimo reveal more about Gaban and his epithet, “Mountain Eater,” and it has nothing to do with his Giant wife Ripley. In fact, as Oimo reveals, Gaban and Roger once found themselves completely surrounded by pirates at a hospital in the mountains. Gaban took down hundreds of enemies by himself, leveling the mountainside in the process and thus earning the epithet.
This brief anecdote by itself conveys just how powerful Gaban is with just two axes. Moreover, as seen at the beginning of the Elbaf Arc, Gaban possesses quite advanced Observation Haki, seeing as he was able to spot the Straw Hats and the Giant Pirates approaching from miles away. Though One Piece fans have yet to see him fight for themselves, the Elbaf Arc has already painted quite a vivid picture of Gaban’s strength which is not unlike Master Roshi.
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One Piece’s Scopper Gaban Could Be the New Master Roshi
What truly sells the Master Roshi parallels is Gaban’s personality in One Piece. Other than his strength, Master Roshi is best known for being quite the lecherous old man, and Gaban, who openly declares himself a “preacher of love” seems to be well on the path to being Roshi’s successor. The latest chapter even sees Luffy imagine Sanji growing up to be just like Gaban when he’s older. That said, while Gaban is currently shaping up to be Luffy’s next opponent and an obstacle in his path to freeing Loki, it is hard to imagine them being on opposing ends for too long. Ever since the Egghead Arc fans have been pointing out how the Final Saga is seemingly mirroring the Sabaody Arc and the story arcs that follow leading up to the time skip.
If so, the Elbaf Arc may see Luffy being trained by another member of Roger’s crew like he was y Rayleigh during the time skip, and who better to take Rayleigh’s place than his near equal Scopper Gaban. While it seemed like Luffy was all but invincible with Gear Five at first, the Egghead Arc has proved that he and the Straw Hats still have some growing to do before they can fully take on the Five Elders and Imu. There is still plenty that fans as well as Luffy have yet to learn about Haki and its various applications and Gaban may be perfectly poised to help Luffy and the Straw Hats advance in that specific area. Usopp in particular could greatly benefit from being mentored by Gaban, particularly with regards to his Observational Haki and it is easy to imagine both Usopp and Luffy becoming Gaban’s disciples much like Goku and Krillin did with Master Roshi.
Overall, given Eiichiro Oda’s close relationship with Akira Toriyama and the sheer influence that Dragon Ball has had on Oda and future mangaka generations, it is very much possible that One Piece’s Gaban was indeed inspired by the great Turtle Hermit. Nonetheless, Scopper Gaban will likely play a major role in the chaos that is evidently about to unfold on Elbaf very soon if the parallels to Master Roshi are any indication, he’s about to become an instant fan favorite.
One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.
