One Piece recently brought its major Kozuki Oden flashback to an end, but this wasn’t the only story to be told as series creator Eiichiro Oda still needed to fill in some gaps as to what happened when Toki sent Momonosuke and a few members of the Akazaya Nine 20 years into the future. As the latest chapter closes the loop on this tragic tale of loss for the Kozuki clan, it also revealed the surprising true identity of Kyoshiro, the current bodyguard to the usurper to the throne Shogun Orochi.
When the newest opening theme for the Wano Country arc’s anime debut premiered, it featured a stealthy clue that Kyoshiro was actually tied to the Akazaya Nine from 20 years ago. Then once fans were introduced to the money collecting Denjiro, they began to wonder whether or not these two were the same person. It turns out this is indeed the case as revealed in Chapter 973 of the series.
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Shortly after Oden was executed and his house was destroyed by Kaido’s forces, Oden’s wife Toki sends her son and a few of the Akazaya Nine 20 years into the future. We then see how the remaining members left behind react to the news such as Ashura Doji, Kawamatsu, Momonosuke’s sister Hiyori, and Denjiro. Denjiro’s so angry that his face begins to contort and his hair changes color completely. It’s why he’s so unrecognizable in the present day.
He begins to operate as “Kyoshiro the Mad” and eventually works his way to Orochi’s side as the new boss of the underworld. But at night he begins the legend of Ushimitsu Kozo as he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Soon enough, the young Hiyori stumbles in front of Kyoshiro and it’s here he reveals to her that he’s Denjiro.
Offering her protection in the place of Kawamatsu in return for keeping his true identity a secret, Hiyori grows up and learns the ways of the geisha until she eventually earns the title of the Oiran named Komurasaki. These two reveals help to flesh out the theories fans had about Wano thus far, and now hopefully this means we will soon be returning to the war for Wano breaking out in the present day!
What are your thoughts about this extended Wano flashback? Did you correctly guess Kyoshiro’s true identity? Does this properly explain why Kyoshiro is such a tough samurai? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!
