I like to think that Shanks will be a flawed character who loves luffy but will oppose him at some point, not because he's actually evil or anything but because he believes luffy should follow a certain path and luffy will refuse Shanks sees the figure of a chosen one in luffy and wants him to fulfill some prophecy, but luffy being luffy will reject his prophecy and "do his own thing"
Exactly!!!! And in doing so he would accomplish what Shanks wanted, and probably would be revealed that had Luffy gone and follow Shanks's idea, he couldnt have brought the dawn
Think you might be on to something here. I have disliked most of the theories I read about Shanks vs Luffy, but yours makes sense, while still holding up tensions and not betraying any of the characters.
luffy is a force of nature. the prophecy that joyboy would return applies to luffy, but its more so like a weather forecast being able to tell that a hurricane is coming. luffy was going to be himself regardless of destiny's plans which i think is examplified by him essentially taking the nika fruit from under shanks' nose. shanks was most likely looking for ace to give that fruit to, but luffy being the force of nature that he is got it instead. luffy is less so a chosen one and more so a natural disaster who brings change because he will always be exactly himself and nothing more
Hundred percent believe this 😂 love it. I subscribe to the theory that Shanks was told by Madame Sharley that he would "Not be the one that brought the dawn, but would give his very arm to raise that child up". He thought that would be Ace, but when Luffy ate the fruit and was almost eaten, he saw what it all meant and went ahead to make that bet. He fed that arm to the Sea King.
i could agree with this had there not been a literal prophecy foretelling the future. even as early as chapter 105 that one old guy said that luffy is special and might be the one the roger pirates were looking for. regardless of anything else, this proves that luffy is the chosen one and tbh all of you are trying to your hardest to do mental gymnastics to avoid this truth prophecy exists > luffy fulfills prophecy > luffy is the chosen one it doesn’t get any simpler than this
@@elanadeshina1489 you're a simpleton trying to oversimplify things when that's not how it works. In one piece there has never been a mention of some external divine force that decides destiny or picks up a "chosen one" who will usher the dawn. A prophecy and destiny are 2 very different things, if someone at the end of void century looked into the future and saw Luffy breaking down the world government, that doesn't equate to Luffy being handpicked to do the job but rather through his existence and nature itself he is bound to bring the dawn
What is funny about Luffy is that he is inherently unable to change. He always was who he is. Other mugiwaras became who they are because of hard events they had to overcome. Luffy was born who he is. Even two years of timeskip and Ace death didn’t change him that much. I think it’s because he learns lessons quite fast but forgets most of them just as instantly.
LMAO right???? Imagine being a fucking god of gods and having your ass kicked by a random kid that came out of a lost forest because you killed a single old man among millions and millions you have erased lol Virgin imu nerona vs chad Monkey D Luffy
@@soulkiller3391are we reading the same story lol? Luffy already has defeated gods for his friends/ friends friends, and Cobra is literally Vivi (a Strawhat!!!)’s dad. lol
@@soulkiller3391uffy punched a celestial dragon just for shooting Hachi. If he finds out they killed the father of Vivi, who’s much closer to him than Hachi, of course he’s going after them
It's crazy to think that a crossroads of fate may be Luffy vs [insert final antagonist] not because the fate of the world is at stake, but because a friend is frustrated at his/her powerlessness. It's an aspect about Luffy that we've all inherently understood, but it's nice to have it put into words. A very nicely done essay.
This is one of the reasons why he is such a beloved character. The fact that he has no obligation whatsoever to help people, plus the fact that he fights only for those he befriends is something that most people can admire and relate to. I will never relate to someone who fights for strangers they never met. Luffy always fights for someone he likes. It just so happens that saving that one person also benefits others. Rebecca is the best example of that for me. She isn't a character beloved by fans and people joke that Luffy saved Dressrosa because she gave him food. But that's putting it lightly. Rebecca was basically a prisoner. She had no freedom, very little money for herself, and the whole country hated her for a crime she didn't commit. But she was still had the heart to pay him a meal with the little money she had. It makes sense why Luffy has so much respect for her.
To be fair even other stories have done similar things. In Harry Potter it is explained that the only reason why the prophecy that Voldemort and Harry can't co-exist is because they choose to oppose each other at every step of the way and that Voldemort killing Harry's parents made it so, not fate or destiny, but each of their decisions.
I guess the only difference is when Harry knew there was a prophecy he kinda got in his head about it at times whereas luffy is completely oblivious lol
There is a genius way of handling the chosen one trope: that the chosen one doesn´t fulfill his destiny because it is their destiny but because he chooses to do so. I don´t know if Luffy will fall into this category but the story is going in that direction so far.
@@ShatteredGlass916 true, but Aang also does his mission because he genuinely wants to protect. There is a nice overlap between those two types of "chosen ones:.
@@username-ql8ox Exactly. It's unfortunate that people can't enjoy wholesome stories anymore. They must invent some trope subversion to be satisfied. IMO that's because we consume way too much fiction.
Well Rayleigh did say once the SHs find the true history then they decide what to do with the information. For Roger he created the age of pirate in hopes to inspire the one who can carry on Nika/Joyboy/Sun God will.
I don’t think that JoyBoy had Luffy’s fruit, I think JoyBoy is literally Luffy’s fruit, like the fruit did not exist on his time, the fruit got created after his death from all the wishes and dreams that people had about him. The fruit chose Luffy because his dreams, and his will, is closest to what JoyBoy actually used to have.
No he factually did. Zunesha recognized the "Drums of Liberation" which is the heartbeat effect that comes from the Nika fruit being awakened. No human can produce the sound otherwise.
@@crazagres1839 that can mean a lot of things man, that can just be a regular heartbeat lol, it does not mean that u have to have the fruit to produce that.
@@korabmustafa8339 ...If it was a Regular heartbeat Zunesha would've never commented on it. Nor would it be called the drums of liberation. The whole point is that it's a very distinctive and recognizable sound, otherwise it'd hold no meaning.
@@crazagres1839 man, the heartbeat is the same because luffy has HIS whole personality, that is literally what a devil fruit is, Luffy is JoyBoy in two ways, through his will and his fruit, that is why the fruit chose him in the first place. The heartbeat has little to no meaning if u think that JoyBoy had this Nika fruit, that only means that that fruit got bounced around for millennia. I believe that the fruit actually got created when JoyBoy died, and it waited long enough for a mf like Luffy to be born and to choose him.
I think a notable occurrence is Luffy's actions at Impel Down. All things considered, the results of the arc are a net negative for the world at large, but that's not his problem, he just wants to save Ace. One of the rare times that Luffy's choice does not line up with "doing the right thing."
And there’s a scene in Impel Down with the Vice Warden (forgot his name) where he’s framed as the hero who just won’t stay down and Luffy is the villian. The Vice Warden explains to Luffy the consequences to the rest of the world if this Jail break is successful. Luffy fully understands what he’s doing is not the “right thing” but he does it anyway. Luffy is a fascinating character.
My favourite approach to fate, destiny and chosen ones, is that something is fated not because they have no free will or agency, but because with the character being who they are they would always make the choices which would lead them there. That way they aren't the vessel of the plot or fate, it's just that the story is following the kind of person who would make it all happen.
@brodybushway4659 just like van auger said at jaya, a crossroads of fate, almost saying that destiny isn't concrete and is merely one path on the crossroads
@@blueeyednick Not really, his destiny is to liberate the world, if you read that, would you think he would be a revolutionaire or a pirate? He chose to live life his own way and liberation followed him, not the other way around
Hope you get back to releasing longer analysis videos on themes like your Luffy/Blackbeard video analysing the importance of chasing your dream the right way
0:37 Naruto's reputation is really in the mud if you're using him an example of someone handpicked by destiny to succeed even though his destiny was literally to fail.
He is like Rama. While Rama’s father was trying to save the world from the demon king’s rule Rama himself was just living in exile in the forest with his wife. Until his wife got kidnapped by the demon king. Then Rama defeated the demon king for his wife, and as colateral saved the world.
This doesn't really negate the fact that Luffy is a man of fate. Even if he consciously chooses to follow his destiny for his own selfish-yet-good reasons rather than out of responsibility, it's still destiny by definition. There was potential for a crossroads to occur if only a portion of the future was foretold or these prophecies were vaguely worded, but instead Oda chose to have characters clearly state that someone will destroy Fish-man Island, raise the Noah, and liberate the world.
luffy is not the chosen one because he was chosen by destiny, he's the chosen one because he's earned it with his actions, he's chosen by his own merit. the prophecy of joyboy returning is the idea that one day someone like joyboy will arrive and achieve what joyboy couldn't, not because he was picked or chosen by the world, but because he's the type of person who would eventually arrive and fulfill the dream of the D. the people of the void century having awareness of luffy's existence and when he'll arrive isn't because he was chosen, but because they saw the future and saw his achievements, and thus they followed the belief that no matter how long the darkness that takes over the world lasts, someone out there will naturally come that will flip that world upside down and bring freedom by inspiring others to do as he does with such purity, unencumbered by the worries and stresses of the world that would normally harden a person's heart and close it off.
Joyboy returning is a 100% someone else taking up the mantle, no time travel bullshit with the toki toki no mi as some people theorize. The concept of inherited dreams is a very big theme in one piece. Luffy however wasn't chosen by his actions, he is just the chosen one of destiny. It does fuck with the themes of OP but it is what it is, just a reality we have to accept. Luffy was the chosen one in chapter 1 already and there was no going back. Being the chosen one is tied to the fruit sadly.
@@crazagres1839 not really. the fruit may have a will of its own but you can't definitively say that it was looking and waiting specifically for luffy. remember we've been introduced to at least two joyboy candidates (Roger, Noland) and the line about the fruit evading the world government also seems to imply that the fruit has been eaten multiple times, but has not AWAKENED. luffy was one of the candidates that the fruit may have chosen because of his mentality and demeanor, but there was no guarantee that he would be the one to awaken it until he did. case in point everything to do with ace: everyone important or who knew roger thought ace was going to be the next pirate king, by merit of being the previous one's son, but not by birthright, as those around him wanted him to grow to the point where he'd be able to do it. and don't forget the theory that shanks may have brought the fruit to give it to ace. luffy isn't the chosen one, he's one of the people who were picked, but he was the correct one all along because of who he is by nature. the idea of the chosen one is that a person is born special by nature through some godlike power or law of their universe that guarantees they would be born to fulfill prophecies. luffy isn't born special, if he was then he'd have been born with the abilities of nika and the gear 5 form naturally. given its zoan fruit status, the nika fruit tells us these abilities were natural to Nika, and could even bring up the idea that Nika and Joyboy are not the same, as joyboy could be the last person to awaken nika's powers from the fruit, further strengthening my point. luffy was born without any outside intervention, no god blessed him, no external force or will affected his nature so that he may be special, he was just born as a normal kid with a big dream and the right mindset to achieve said dream, and in fact the right mindset to become king of the pirates, the freest man in the world. saying he's the chosen one undermines every bit of effort, blood, sweat and tears that luffy shed in order to achieve his goal. Morj's point stands very strongly in that context: the fruit may have chosen Luffy, but if he's the freest man in the world, then he will choose his own destiny, not let it be decided by others.
@@LightBringer666 Your coming doesn't have to be foretold before your birth to be a chosen one, nor does the god need to pick a millennia ahead of time. Neither of those two are even common to the chosen one trope much less needed for it to be there. The devil fruit evading a world government does not, in Any way imply it's been eaten multiple times. We see one of the times it evades the world government and that's the only example we see; needless to say the fruit was not eaten. Shanks simply stole it off a ship for safekeeping. Luffy was the Only candidate in the current era for being chosen. It never even implies the fruit had other candidates or was going to Ever choose anyone else. That is purely your headcanon and not information to use in a discussion. Damn near everyone also thinks that Buggy the mf clown is Yonko level. People thinking something is the case has no bearing on the story. Thinking Ace would ever be the Pirate King was always delusional. He simply had no interest in the topic, rather he wanted to help WB get there. What people believe in no way matched the actual reality of the situation. With the theory about shanks giving it to Ace; Your headcanon once again is irrelevant. We're talking about what's in the story. "the idea of the chosen one is that a person is born special by nature through some godlike power or law of their universe that guarantees they would be born to fulfill prophecies. luffy isn't born special, if he was then he'd have been born with the abilities of nika and the gear 5 form naturally." Luffy is the Grandson of the Marine Hero Garp, and son of the leader of the Revolution, Monkey D. Dragon. He is more special then Ace by Birthright. Garp was Equal to Roger and Ace doesn't have another top tier in his family tree. Luffy was also the person the devil fruit picked, not because of who he became but rather who he was born as. You're nowhere near fully developed at the age luffy ate the Nika Nika no mi, from that point he could've became any sort of person if he was anyone else. He was picked because of what he was born as, chosen by birthright. He was also born with conquerors Haki and the Voice of all Things. Those things he was just born With. Hao haki is more common these days but the Voice of All Things is a Very private club, not even Ace had that. Luffy and the Pirate king both did however. Luffy was the most special person born in the current era with the Possible exception of blackbeard. I have literally no idea what you're even talking about with him having to be born with his chosen one powers. That's not how the trope works. You can be chosen later in life, that's totally normal. Naruto for example was born as a chosen one but only got the power that came with that way later. Does that mean he Wasn't a chosen one ? There was a whole ass prophecy about this man. Luffy himself was born with it; he was always going to be chosen(You don't really get to make life changing decisions that early in life, not really. His training and parents were always going to be the same, he had no way of escaping garp.) and he was the most special person in the entire world even before eating the fruit. I'm sorry but arguing he's not a chosen one is simply delusional.
I always go back to the words of Iva when the subject of miracles was brought up"miracles only happen to those who never give up" Also when Kaido asked him if he can beat him Luffy said as long as he's alive he has infinite chances and that's the essence of luffy's chosen one trope adventure, yes he is the one who will fulfill the role fate has given him but not because he was always supposed to do so but because he always stood up due to his sheer will to never give up and bounced back again and again no matter the odds because he's made out of rubber.
I'm curious if freeing fruit users from the curse of the sea could be thematically relevant. The Pirate King is the most free person on the seas, but ironically, Luffy won't ever be free to be in the sea because of the Devil Fruit Curse.
@@ferm721 I don't think so though because Imu had the Ope Ope used on them. I think the real mother nature likely HATES Imu as it was stated that nature hates devil fruits as they're almost blasphemous. As such, Nature would HATE Imu probably above all else because nothing in the natural world should live forever as death is part of nature, so that would explain why Nika is able to reincarnate as a sort of counter to Imu's own immortality. Kinda like how Anakin was meant to balance the force, Joyboy is meant to bring balance back to the world by ultimately getting rid of Imu.
What if Imu has the Sea God fruit or something and that's the reason users can't swim. Imu is personally drowning them. Idk but I would like to see Luffy swim someway at the end of the story.
There's a prophecy made 800 yrs ago about him, another one made 20 years ago about him..... The mental gymnastics we try to make for luffy.... . He is not more special than the other chosen ones we've seen. He does what he does because he is the chosen one, whether his decisions are selfish or not, it's still fulfill prophecies that were already established, not because is some coincidence. If there's a prophecy about you, and no matter what decision you make you always end up fulfilling such prophecy, you're not free, you're bound to it. Luffy's sense of freedom is like being trapped in the genjustu shisui wanted to use against the Uchiha. You think you're doing things based on your own free will, when you're not. It is luffy's destiny no matter what he "chooses" to do. Luffy saying "he is luffy and will become the pirate king" doesn't change that either. Is like saying naruto is no lt naruto because he is the reincarnation of Indra or aang isn't aang because litteraly his past life's live inside him. Truth is, all the uniqueness luffy had was thrown away the moment Oda decided to make his df the mythical Nikka fruit, essentially telling us that all along luffy has been bound to that prophecy. We are even confirmed by the gorosei that zoans have wills of their one and they essentially choose who becomes their users, further implying luffy didn't ate it, the fruit literally chose him. It's sad but maybe luffy sense of freedom is an illusion. Maybe He is a slave to destiny who's purpose in life is to free others, the "warrior of liberation".
I love the twist of the Chosen One trope this series offer. Someone not even being aware or refusing that they are who they are lends their actions an honesty unparalleled with other chosen ones, who at the mid way or even start of their adventure get told this fact and makes their good will look like a front made to just keep up that role they were given by merit of their birth.
Yes, finally someone who understand Luffy, many thinks because it was even stated 800 years ago that joyboy will come that Luffy is not free or completely Luffy alone. Yes it has similarities with Roger and he is indeed the joy personification in a boy, but not because of destiny, but because he is that way. Like in wano, when luffy ignores Bigmom and Kaido in roofpiece, Kinemon says will you carry the land of wano in your back after remembering everything that means the liberation of wano exactly in this year, Luffy says “Baka” like “you dumb, of course I will, it is the country of my friends!” He is doing it not to free wano and open the walls of Wano because of destiny, is doing it because Kaido messes with his friends. Clearly Luffy is not under Joyboy control, Luffy is the true Joyboy, more than the previous Joyboy!
@@vojtechtesar7114 You're right but they're both very similar. Gon's will is also basically indomitable which was made clear when he allowed his arm to be completely broken before giving up
Ehhh I don't fully agree. I mean I don't hate that Luffy is special but what you are trying to say that he is unique kind of "chosen one" is not what I agree on. The arguments you make can be made for any other series. Even Naruto. Like Naruto was only able to change his destiny and put a stop to cycle of hatred cause of his personality and his empathy towards others. How is Luffy any different? And as you said, everything CONVENIENTLY lined up for Luffy. How is that organic as you claim to be? Also I can't take it seriously that Luffy is a pirate not a hero. He has saved people everytime. I would have loved to see him abandoning an Island where he didn't make any friends for this argument to work effectively. Anyways I don't agree with most of the people that "chosen one" trope is bad or overused. Half the people don't even know what it means or difference between fate and destiny. And they write off those stories as bad without properly analyzing. You definitely can relate to "chosen one" MCs.
Luffy has caused tragedies though. Luffy taking down Doflamingo caused the collapse of several nations that couldn't get their weapons. Luffy gives not one single fuck about it. Just saving people doesn't make you a Hero either. Crocodile has saved people. But no one is arguing that Crocodile is a Hero.
I like your opinion but I feel like one piece has the anime story I ever saw throughout other anime mainly because of this reason that they focus evenly on the MC and side characters and they have the best world building and power system.
As usual, very well broken down. I was thinking the same and it became especially obvious in Wano, where the "destiny" elemment was put plainly, but we knew Luffy's reasonings. Its all kind of a happy coincidence and I think it's brilliantly done. Another thing I was thinking, I believe one of the reasons it works so well is because Luffy and the Straw hats for the most part know nothing about the whole destiny business. They are just pursuing their own goal and it just so happens to be fulfilling something bigger as the same time.
Been saying this for over a year now since G5 reveal. Luffy may be the “chosen one” but it wont affect anything, luffy will still choose to be free and do whatever he wants, which in turn is taking down the world gov and freeing the world
Another top tier analysis, thanks for this morj. Possibly the most controversial aspect of the story imo and you laid it out perfectly. It seems you left the question open at the end, which i bet is exactly as Oda intended.
Reminds of Saul when he is saving Robin from the buster call and picks up the battleship. “I don’t know what Justice means here, so I’m just going to protect my friend!”
10:45 this moment is such a highlight for me and anyone who complains about g5 being "wah wah chosen one bs" will immediately be ignored It's such a stark contrast to the super saiyan transformation where goku pretty much submits to the prophecy with his "I am" speech.
My top 3 OP channels are 4)Tekking- His trivia knowledge on OP world. 3)Jay D Legend- 6 letters, A G E N D A! I love his personal takes on OP, his roasting, and he's just entertaining. I can watch him all day 2) Huncho 619- His "Quiting D Job" series is The Best Skit on the Internet. Chopper and Beppo skits! Honorable mention) CJ da Champ 1) Morj!!!- Morj is amazing coz he speaks to what I love most about the story, the narrative its self, the themes behind it, and just how he narrates!
Even our world yearns for someone like Luffy today. No ulterior motives, just someone who wants to party with his friends. Only difference, the world becomes his friend leading to a golden era in our world where all the bullshit brainwashing by social media and power plays by politicians would cease to exist.
I would like to add, I find it interesting that ODA personifies the happiness of the world by taking down "false" gods. I wonder if we could irradiate our world of religion would we be able to end our differences, and finally do whats right without the need of moral intervention of a supreme leader?
@@redbeardhomesIn the last few centuries this was attempted and ended it in millions and millions of death and misery. From the French Revolution to Communist Russia, China and North Korea
@@redbeardhomes hey responding to this one too, I actually don’t believe that removing religion would improve things at all really. In fact that would more than likely increase the amount of “false gods” than there already are. The real issue imo is the abuse of and manipulation of religion as well as the tampering of it that’s gone on for who knows how long. The teachings of most of the mainstream religions are objectively helpful and fulfilling overall.
@@michaelpeak2438 I just think that all religions are deeply flawed and instigate more differences than unity. But you're right. By forcing eradication of religion you're still taking away some form of freedom which is against the ultimate goal that the world wants to attain.
He is joyboy, and joyboy is based on haitian voduo who is a deity , which is a god of hope, dance and music. Joyboy goes around the land meeting people and playing music. Every time he met a city or town in despair he would play his drum for all to hear, creating a party in the process. The party would melt everyone's sadness away, giving way to a hope for the future. Even when he would leave, the people he played for would party and enjoy the life around them...
Very interesting and well thought out video! I have always loved Luffy's free spiritedness, and with the BIG WANO REVEAL I saw a lot of people talking about how his character was "ruined" because the change somehow meant all his hard work was for nothing and he was just a "destined mary sue" all along. I loved hearing you tear this argument down and explain how he could be both a destined one and also still have his freedom. :)
What about the influence of the devil fruit to whoever eats it? How much is luffy free of the sun god nika of the devil fruit? I would assume not much because Luffy still feels like Luffy on the very quick time we've seen of him before the devil fruit, more importantly i think, Shanks still treats luffy the same before and after he's eaten gumgum
Vegapunk said that a zoan user can lose control of themselves due to the power of their awakening like the guards in impel down. But Luffy and Rob Lucci have successful awakenings, that lets them stay in control and be themselves.
People forget that Luffy was already like this before he ate the fruit. Fighting for his friends, free willed. People also forget that devil fruit not only influence its user but zoan df chose the person most suitable for them.
Luffy being the “chosen one” has always felt like more of an inevitability than a prophecy, if that makes sense, sure some characters knew it involved the nika fruit and joyboy somehow but it was inevitable that someone LIKE luffy was going to come along at some point, the greatest trait luffy has is his haki (or more broadly his willpower), just like rodger, and that’s completely unrelated to his devil fruit, he probably could’ve done every single thing he’s ever done without it, it’s more symbolic than anything
Overly Sarcastic productiond had a detailed daitribe about God of War. Specifically about it's take on Fate and Free Will. The Norse Gods are 'fated' to do certain things because of who they are ad people. They do have free will, it's just that they don't use it most of the time.
Luffy is the most chosen one of all chosen ones that can be chosen. The question is, just how much influence does the Nika fruit have on Luffys personality and his choices? Everythin allways goes the way Luffy wants, and he is suuuper lucky beyond anything ever
@@adelumli3883 Ace died after luffy saved him. And sabody was ultimately not a defeat since Kuma saved them, and send all the strawhats to the perfect training spots.
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something-your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” Steve jobs. in the end, if you have fullfilled your dream it will like you were Chosen for it, but you are the one who has chosen.
By the way, I feel like Naruto falls into the "chosen one because of their own actions" category as well. You showed clips of Naruto at the beginning of the video, but Naruto was never the chosen one because he must have been but because he was a good person. For 90% of the story, he did not even know that the concept of the chosen one exists in verse. I just wanted to leave this info here because I think Naruto´s chosen one moment gets too much hate while it seems to be practically the same as in One Piece.
SPIT SPIT BROTHER I fucking hate these dumb ass RUclipsrs nowadays they are such great way to spread hate and misinformation they love to hate on Naruto when One Piece is literally going the same route like other shonen stories Naruto made his decision to break the circle of Hatred and he succeeded
I think the Naruto chosen one thing gets to people more because of the- A. It felt like the Naruto manga was more focussed on Naruto being an underdog learning to become better rather than being naturally skilled, which felt undercut by the Asura reveal B. Because it happened so late in the series that it felt like by the time it ended, that Naruto's extended powerset happened because of the reveal rather than it always being a part of the story I think eventually people are gonna realise, oh shit, Luffy's chosen oneness is as bad as Naruto's, but I think it depends completely on how long we have left and how it's handled.
It seems to me that Vivi will be one of the main reasons why Luffy takes on the WG. I can see a situation where Sabo&Dragon ask luffy what he’ll do and Luffy says he’ll fight the celestial dragons because Imu messed with Vivi and Cobra not because of prophecies.
Honestly? All this seems incredibly standard chosen one to me. All the other chosen ones also just do stuff for personal reasons (and not cause they care about society or people in general) and then happen to save the world on a side note. It's kind of literally in the hero's journey even, that's how standard this is? In fact I would struggle to think of a chosen one that *doesn't* follow this? And even among them Luffy is not that different. His pirate-isms are in practice not a big deal, compared to e.g. Goku and his bunch who keep actively endangering the earth just so they can fight strong opponents. This, to me, seems like one of those "wow One Piece is so brilliant!!!!" videos about storytelling 101.
Luffy will be what he will be. King of the Pirates has an entirely different meaning if the govt goes down and there is no point in piracy anymore. I think that will be very interesting to explore.
What I love about the "prophecy" in One Piece, it is told as a history that happens on the past instead of predicting the future. That's why Luffy being the "chosen one" was never really a game changer for me. What I mean by this is that most prophecy foretold the hero's destiny and end goal. Like defeating the demon king or end wars. But in Joyboy's case he never was prophesised to be the pirate king, nor saving the world or create freedom. Most of the prophecy are just his track records and checklist of promises or plans. Like his track record of freeing slaves and promises to take mermaid princess to the surface. So not everything is set in stone. For all we know, Luffy never had truly freed slaves like Tiger did nor whether or not he fulfil his promise with shirahoshi. His destiny or future was never truly recorded. The only time we were given a prediction of his future, Luffy was not painted as a good guy and it has nothing to do with him being the "chosen one".
“The way luffy is framed in the start of the story as a random boy is different than the way he’s framed now as a figure of destiny” THE FIRST CHAPTER SAYS LUFFYS VOYAGE OF DESTINY BEGINS AT THE END
I recently came across this perticular info that Indus valley civilization has a gap in its history. There was a civilization with ancient cities like harappa and mohenjodaro and then there is a void in our know;edge on history of around 4 centuries and then then our knowledge of history continues again at some 6 century BCE, which can be in some sense traced back from today. It fells like a void century idea to me.
*So you say, Destiny has one path but one has freedom to do something about it. Luffy is freedom that just chose the path aligned with Destiny's own.* *Do as I say not as I do.*
Great way to put. I think Luffys dream is going to inadvertently have to free the world from Imu. And I lowkey think his dream will be a pirate kingdom officially. But not like the current island but a kingdom of freedom and peace
It isn’t alienating at all to read about a chosen one (see Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter) as I’ve never heard that complaint on some of the previous most popular characters in 20th/21st century pop culture. I grew up thinking that secretly I was a chosen one and it was empowering. It would be terrible if we lose that in culture.
@@jarontirosh324but when it’s canonical in universe plot armor like how it is with the chosen one trope it’s a completely different story. it goes from the main character maybe getting lucky to the universe is protecting the main character because they must fulfill their destiny.
Great video, however I will nitpick your intro. The chosen one trope is "almost archaic" statement specifically. Fiction, of every form, goes through trends and stylings. The "Chosen One" still exists in almost every major fictional work, even in things as surface level as Marvel comics. Just because it's become less popular *lately* doesnt mean it cant or wont (it will) resurge in popularity. I've studied literature from many, many cultures, religions, and time periods. You will notice trends rise and fall. Like the "anti-chosen one" or the "ill-fated one" i.e. someone who lives a constant downward spiral. Kafka comes to mind for that one.
The big caveat is that the nika nika fruit has a will of its own, "choosing" to end up with luffy. He became "the one" because of the man he is of his own right. His own choices and personality led to him becoming joyboy.
the nika fruit didn’t choose luffy, the fate and destiny did, unless you want to tell me that the fruit either whispered to luffy or used mind control on him then there’s no logical way that a fruit chose someone to eat it. as for luffy making his own choices, other characters make choices too and luffy cannot control them. how many times has luffy almost died but survived due to something completely outside of his control?
@@elanadeshina1489 They did state that the fruit has "almost like a will of its own" And it stayed out of the hands of the world government for 800 years.
Ironic. I always thought Luffy was tragic because he wants to be free, but he seems to be a tool of fate. He and many others seem to play roles in a drama that cycles back and forth between ages of good and evil like the sun and the moon, always coming to a head at given points.
I like to think that Shanks will be a flawed character who loves luffy but will oppose him at some point, not because he's actually evil or anything but because he believes luffy should follow a certain path and luffy will refuse
Shanks sees the figure of a chosen one in luffy and wants him to fulfill some prophecy, but luffy being luffy will reject his prophecy and "do his own thing"
could also want to test luffy too
this is the most organic shanks vs luffy theory i've seen 🔥
@@juiuice Best way to test luffy without losing tension.
Exactly!!!! And in doing so he would accomplish what Shanks wanted, and probably would be revealed that had Luffy gone and follow Shanks's idea, he couldnt have brought the dawn
Think you might be on to something here. I have disliked most of the theories I read about Shanks vs Luffy, but yours makes sense, while still holding up tensions and not betraying any of the characters.
luffy is a force of nature. the prophecy that joyboy would return applies to luffy, but its more so like a weather forecast being able to tell that a hurricane is coming. luffy was going to be himself regardless of destiny's plans which i think is examplified by him essentially taking the nika fruit from under shanks' nose. shanks was most likely looking for ace to give that fruit to, but luffy being the force of nature that he is got it instead. luffy is less so a chosen one and more so a natural disaster who brings change because he will always be exactly himself and nothing more
Great perspective
Hundred percent believe this 😂 love it. I subscribe to the theory that Shanks was told by Madame Sharley that he would "Not be the one that brought the dawn, but would give his very arm to raise that child up".
He thought that would be Ace, but when Luffy ate the fruit and was almost eaten, he saw what it all meant and went ahead to make that bet. He fed that arm to the Sea King.
i could agree with this had there not been a literal prophecy foretelling the future. even as early as chapter 105 that one old guy said that luffy is special and might be the one the roger pirates were looking for. regardless of anything else, this proves that luffy is the chosen one and tbh all of you are trying to your hardest to do mental gymnastics to avoid this truth
prophecy exists > luffy fulfills prophecy > luffy is the chosen one it doesn’t get any simpler than this
@@elanadeshina1489 you're a simpleton trying to oversimplify things when that's not how it works. In one piece there has never been a mention of some external divine force that decides destiny or picks up a "chosen one" who will usher the dawn. A prophecy and destiny are 2 very different things, if someone at the end of void century looked into the future and saw Luffy breaking down the world government, that doesn't equate to Luffy being handpicked to do the job but rather through his existence and nature itself he is bound to bring the dawn
What is funny about Luffy is that he is inherently unable to change. He always was who he is. Other mugiwaras became who they are because of hard events they had to overcome. Luffy was born who he is. Even two years of timeskip and Ace death didn’t change him that much. I think it’s because he learns lessons quite fast but forgets most of them just as instantly.
Imu sealed his fate the moment he took out Cobra. Just like in MockTown, Bellamy wasn’t a problem until he messed with Cricket.
LMAO right????
Imagine being a fucking god of gods and having your ass kicked by a random kid that came out of a lost forest because you killed a single old man among millions and millions you have erased lol
Virgin imu nerona vs chad Monkey D Luffy
Bruh good point.
They not starting a war against the whole world for king cobra man 😂
@@soulkiller3391are we reading the same story lol? Luffy already has defeated gods for his friends/ friends friends, and Cobra is literally Vivi (a Strawhat!!!)’s dad. lol
@@soulkiller3391uffy punched a celestial dragon just for shooting Hachi. If he finds out they killed the father of Vivi, who’s much closer to him than Hachi, of course he’s going after them
It's crazy to think that a crossroads of fate may be Luffy vs [insert final antagonist] not because the fate of the world is at stake, but because a friend is frustrated at his/her powerlessness. It's an aspect about Luffy that we've all inherently understood, but it's nice to have it put into words. A very nicely done essay.
This is one of the reasons why he is such a beloved character. The fact that he has no obligation whatsoever to help people, plus the fact that he fights only for those he befriends is something that most people can admire and relate to. I will never relate to someone who fights for strangers they never met. Luffy always fights for someone he likes. It just so happens that saving that one person also benefits others.
Rebecca is the best example of that for me. She isn't a character beloved by fans and people joke that Luffy saved Dressrosa because she gave him food. But that's putting it lightly. Rebecca was basically a prisoner. She had no freedom, very little money for herself, and the whole country hated her for a crime she didn't commit. But she was still had the heart to pay him a meal with the little money she had. It makes sense why Luffy has so much respect for her.
To be fair even other stories have done similar things. In Harry Potter it is explained that the only reason why the prophecy that Voldemort and Harry can't co-exist is because they choose to oppose each other at every step of the way and that Voldemort killing Harry's parents made it so, not fate or destiny, but each of their decisions.
I WAS JUST THINKING THIS!
I guess the only difference is when Harry knew there was a prophecy he kinda got in his head about it at times whereas luffy is completely oblivious lol
Luffy will be The King of the Pirates 🏴☠️
No black beard would become pirate king.
Kaizoku ni Naru otoko da!
How could you say something so controversial yet so brave
After Buggy, of course
Luffy would get donuted by akainu and dies
This is a masterpiece, Morj. Brought a tear to my eye legitimately. Awesome way to explain the story.
There is a genius way of handling the chosen one trope: that the chosen one doesn´t fulfill his destiny because it is their destiny but because he chooses to do so. I don´t know if Luffy will fall into this category but the story is going in that direction so far.
Or you can go Aang's route. By becoming and threading the line, yet the story emphasize the burden and heavy responsibility by being a 'chosen one'.
@@ShatteredGlass916 true, but Aang also does his mission because he genuinely wants to protect. There is a nice overlap between those two types of "chosen ones:.
This is quite literally the hero's journey for most chosen one stories.
@@username-ql8ox Exactly. It's unfortunate that people can't enjoy wholesome stories anymore. They must invent some trope subversion to be satisfied. IMO that's because we consume way too much fiction.
Well Rayleigh did say once the SHs find the true history then they decide what to do with the information. For Roger he created the age of pirate in hopes to inspire the one who can carry on Nika/Joyboy/Sun God will.
I don’t think that JoyBoy had Luffy’s fruit, I think JoyBoy is literally Luffy’s fruit, like the fruit did not exist on his time, the fruit got created after his death from all the wishes and dreams that people had about him. The fruit chose Luffy because his dreams, and his will, is closest to what JoyBoy actually used to have.
Gotta say, that's a possibility I hadn't considered. I like it 😁
No he factually did. Zunesha recognized the "Drums of Liberation" which is the heartbeat effect that comes from the Nika fruit being awakened. No human can produce the sound otherwise.
@@crazagres1839 that can mean a lot of things man, that can just be a regular heartbeat lol, it does not mean that u have to have the fruit to produce that.
@@korabmustafa8339 ...If it was a Regular heartbeat Zunesha would've never commented on it. Nor would it be called the drums of liberation. The whole point is that it's a very distinctive and recognizable sound, otherwise it'd hold no meaning.
@@crazagres1839 man, the heartbeat is the same because luffy has HIS whole personality, that is literally what a devil fruit is, Luffy is JoyBoy in two ways, through his will and his fruit, that is why the fruit chose him in the first place. The heartbeat has little to no meaning if u think that JoyBoy had this Nika fruit, that only means that that fruit got bounced around for millennia. I believe that the fruit actually got created when JoyBoy died, and it waited long enough for a mf like Luffy to be born and to choose him.
I think a notable occurrence is Luffy's actions at Impel Down. All things considered, the results of the arc are a net negative for the world at large, but that's not his problem, he just wants to save Ace. One of the rare times that Luffy's choice does not line up with "doing the right thing."
And there’s a scene in Impel Down with the Vice Warden (forgot his name) where he’s framed as the hero who just won’t stay down and Luffy is the villian. The Vice Warden explains to Luffy the consequences to the rest of the world if this Jail break is successful. Luffy fully understands what he’s doing is not the “right thing” but he does it anyway. Luffy is a fascinating character.
how could saving someone from an unjust execution at the hands of a corrupt government not be “doing the right thing” in any book?
@@elanadeshina1489because in the process he is liberating many bad criminals, like crocodile
@@elanadeshina1489because he simultaneously unleashed some of the worst criminals on the seas in the process.
My favourite approach to fate, destiny and chosen ones, is that something is fated not because they have no free will or agency, but because with the character being who they are they would always make the choices which would lead them there.
That way they aren't the vessel of the plot or fate, it's just that the story is following the kind of person who would make it all happen.
except this completely ignores the dozens of other factors outside of the character’s control
He achieved and chose his destiny which was already destined for him.
But destiny isnt guaranteed. He could fail and the world could go blackbeards way instead of luffys
contradiction
@brodybushway4659 just like van auger said at jaya, a crossroads of fate, almost saying that destiny isn't concrete and is merely one path on the crossroads
Basically the Catholic take on predestination as a function of foreknowledge.
@@blueeyednick Not really, his destiny is to liberate the world, if you read that, would you think he would be a revolutionaire or a pirate? He chose to live life his own way and liberation followed him, not the other way around
6:20
Countless people who lost loved ones to prisoners from Impel Down Luffy helped break out:
☠☠☠
Yup!
But Luffy is not a saint...
Luffy really does love freedom😂
As per usual morj’s best videos come in analyzing the content rather than predictions or let alone power scaling. Very well put the whole video
Morj opening monologues>>>>>>>>
ive been craving a clasic morj essay. thank you
The only diffrence between teach and luffy is that one 'feels like' helping, while the other 'feels like' destroying, both just do what they want
Hope you get back to releasing longer analysis videos on themes like your Luffy/Blackbeard video analysing the importance of chasing your dream the right way
0:37 Naruto's reputation is really in the mud if you're using him an example of someone handpicked by destiny to succeed even though his destiny was literally to fail.
Its true
@@cwj_721 What's true?
He is like Rama. While Rama’s father was trying to save the world from the demon king’s rule Rama himself was just living in exile in the forest with his wife. Until his wife got kidnapped by the demon king. Then Rama defeated the demon king for his wife, and as colateral saved the world.
Which is also why Dragon isn’t the main character.
@@LarsCaesar what anime is this from?? or is it a religious text
@@mozzy1268 Rama is an avatar of Vishnu in hindu mythology
Mr Morj cinema video lets go
This doesn't really negate the fact that Luffy is a man of fate. Even if he consciously chooses to follow his destiny for his own selfish-yet-good reasons rather than out of responsibility, it's still destiny by definition. There was potential for a crossroads to occur if only a portion of the future was foretold or these prophecies were vaguely worded, but instead Oda chose to have characters clearly state that someone will destroy Fish-man Island, raise the Noah, and liberate the world.
thank you for having common sense and decent reading comprehension skills
luffy is not the chosen one because he was chosen by destiny, he's the chosen one because he's earned it with his actions, he's chosen by his own merit. the prophecy of joyboy returning is the idea that one day someone like joyboy will arrive and achieve what joyboy couldn't, not because he was picked or chosen by the world, but because he's the type of person who would eventually arrive and fulfill the dream of the D.
the people of the void century having awareness of luffy's existence and when he'll arrive isn't because he was chosen, but because they saw the future and saw his achievements, and thus they followed the belief that no matter how long the darkness that takes over the world lasts, someone out there will naturally come that will flip that world upside down and bring freedom by inspiring others to do as he does with such purity, unencumbered by the worries and stresses of the world that would normally harden a person's heart and close it off.
Joyboy returning is a 100% someone else taking up the mantle, no time travel bullshit with the toki toki no mi as some people theorize. The concept of inherited dreams is a very big theme in one piece.
Luffy however wasn't chosen by his actions, he is just the chosen one of destiny. It does fuck with the themes of OP but it is what it is, just a reality we have to accept. Luffy was the chosen one in chapter 1 already and there was no going back. Being the chosen one is tied to the fruit sadly.
@@crazagres1839 not really. the fruit may have a will of its own but you can't definitively say that it was looking and waiting specifically for luffy. remember we've been introduced to at least two joyboy candidates (Roger, Noland) and the line about the fruit evading the world government also seems to imply that the fruit has been eaten multiple times, but has not AWAKENED.
luffy was one of the candidates that the fruit may have chosen because of his mentality and demeanor, but there was no guarantee that he would be the one to awaken it until he did.
case in point everything to do with ace: everyone important or who knew roger thought ace was going to be the next pirate king, by merit of being the previous one's son, but not by birthright, as those around him wanted him to grow to the point where he'd be able to do it. and don't forget the theory that shanks may have brought the fruit to give it to ace.
luffy isn't the chosen one, he's one of the people who were picked, but he was the correct one all along because of who he is by nature.
the idea of the chosen one is that a person is born special by nature through some godlike power or law of their universe that guarantees they would be born to fulfill prophecies. luffy isn't born special, if he was then he'd have been born with the abilities of nika and the gear 5 form naturally.
given its zoan fruit status, the nika fruit tells us these abilities were natural to Nika, and could even bring up the idea that Nika and Joyboy are not the same, as joyboy could be the last person to awaken nika's powers from the fruit, further strengthening my point.
luffy was born without any outside intervention, no god blessed him, no external force or will affected his nature so that he may be special, he was just born as a normal kid with a big dream and the right mindset to achieve said dream, and in fact the right mindset to become king of the pirates, the freest man in the world.
saying he's the chosen one undermines every bit of effort, blood, sweat and tears that luffy shed in order to achieve his goal.
Morj's point stands very strongly in that context: the fruit may have chosen Luffy, but if he's the freest man in the world, then he will choose his own destiny, not let it be decided by others.
@@LightBringer666
Your coming doesn't have to be foretold before your birth to be a chosen one, nor does the god need to pick a millennia ahead of time. Neither of those two are even common to the chosen one trope much less needed for it to be there.
The devil fruit evading a world government does not, in Any way imply it's been eaten multiple times. We see one of the times it evades the world government and that's the only example we see; needless to say the fruit was not eaten. Shanks simply stole it off a ship for safekeeping.
Luffy was the Only candidate in the current era for being chosen. It never even implies the fruit had other candidates or was going to Ever choose anyone else. That is purely your headcanon and not information to use in a discussion.
Damn near everyone also thinks that Buggy the mf clown is Yonko level. People thinking something is the case has no bearing on the story. Thinking Ace would ever be the Pirate King was always delusional. He simply had no interest in the topic, rather he wanted to help WB get there. What people believe in no way matched the actual reality of the situation.
With the theory about shanks giving it to Ace; Your headcanon once again is irrelevant. We're talking about what's in the story.
"the idea of the chosen one is that a person is born special by nature through some godlike power or law of their universe that guarantees they would be born to fulfill prophecies. luffy isn't born special, if he was then he'd have been born with the abilities of nika and the gear 5 form naturally."
Luffy is the Grandson of the Marine Hero Garp, and son of the leader of the Revolution, Monkey D. Dragon. He is more special then Ace by Birthright. Garp was Equal to Roger and Ace doesn't have another top tier in his family tree. Luffy was also the person the devil fruit picked, not because of who he became but rather who he was born as. You're nowhere near fully developed at the age luffy ate the Nika Nika no mi, from that point he could've became any sort of person if he was anyone else. He was picked because of what he was born as, chosen by birthright. He was also born with conquerors Haki and the Voice of all Things. Those things he was just born With.
Hao haki is more common these days but the Voice of All Things is a Very private club, not even Ace had that. Luffy and the Pirate king both did however.
Luffy was the most special person born in the current era with the Possible exception of blackbeard.
I have literally no idea what you're even talking about with him having to be born with his chosen one powers. That's not how the trope works. You can be chosen later in life, that's totally normal. Naruto for example was born as a chosen one but only got the power that came with that way later. Does that mean he Wasn't a chosen one ? There was a whole ass prophecy about this man. Luffy himself was born with it; he was always going to be chosen(You don't really get to make life changing decisions that early in life, not really. His training and parents were always going to be the same, he had no way of escaping garp.) and he was the most special person in the entire world even before eating the fruit.
I'm sorry but arguing he's not a chosen one is simply delusional.
I always go back to the words of Iva when the subject of miracles was brought up"miracles only happen to those who never give up"
Also when Kaido asked him if he can beat him Luffy said as long as he's alive he has infinite chances and that's the essence of luffy's chosen one trope adventure, yes he is the one who will fulfill the role fate has given him but not because he was always supposed to do so but because he always stood up due to his sheer will to never give up and bounced back again and again no matter the odds because he's made out of rubber.
You nailed luffy's essence! Every well put into words Morj.
Luffy videos gotta be my favorite 😁
I'm curious if freeing fruit users from the curse of the sea could be thematically relevant. The Pirate King is the most free person on the seas, but ironically, Luffy won't ever be free to be in the sea because of the Devil Fruit Curse.
If Imu is truly mother nature who hates devil fruits, maybe their defeat will liberate all df users from their curse
@@ferm721 I don't think so though because Imu had the Ope Ope used on them. I think the real mother nature likely HATES Imu as it was stated that nature hates devil fruits as they're almost blasphemous. As such, Nature would HATE Imu probably above all else because nothing in the natural world should live forever as death is part of nature, so that would explain why Nika is able to reincarnate as a sort of counter to Imu's own immortality. Kinda like how Anakin was meant to balance the force, Joyboy is meant to bring balance back to the world by ultimately getting rid of Imu.
What if Imu has the Sea God fruit or something and that's the reason users can't swim. Imu is personally drowning them.
Idk but I would like to see Luffy swim someway at the end of the story.
The One Piece Netflix writers should have hired you as an Executive Producer
The background music is on point Morj 👍
he chose the destiny which was assigned to him by fate
6:08
Morj
"Its a child's approach to decision making"
Me, 27yo living like this for all my life::
“Fate only binds you if you let it. Do what is necessary. Not because it is written.” - Kratos.
"We will make our destiny." -- Kratos
There's a prophecy made 800 yrs ago about him, another one made 20 years ago about him.....
The mental gymnastics we try to make for luffy.... . He is not more special than the other chosen ones we've seen. He does what he does because he is the chosen one, whether his decisions are selfish or not, it's still fulfill prophecies that were already established, not because is some coincidence. If there's a prophecy about you, and no matter what decision you make you always end up fulfilling such prophecy, you're not free, you're bound to it. Luffy's sense of freedom is like being trapped in the genjustu shisui wanted to use against the Uchiha. You think you're doing things based on your own free will, when you're not.
It is luffy's destiny no matter what he "chooses" to do.
Luffy saying "he is luffy and will become the pirate king" doesn't change that either. Is like saying naruto is no lt naruto because he is the reincarnation of Indra or aang isn't aang because litteraly his past life's live inside him.
Truth is, all the uniqueness luffy had was thrown away the moment Oda decided to make his df the mythical Nikka fruit, essentially telling us that all along luffy has been bound to that prophecy. We are even confirmed by the gorosei that zoans have wills of their one and they essentially choose who becomes their users, further implying luffy didn't ate it, the fruit literally chose him. It's sad but maybe luffy sense of freedom is an illusion. Maybe He is a slave to destiny who's purpose in life is to free others, the "warrior of liberation".
You dark
I love the twist of the Chosen One trope this series offer. Someone not even being aware or refusing that they are who they are lends their actions an honesty unparalleled with other chosen ones, who at the mid way or even start of their adventure get told this fact and makes their good will look like a front made to just keep up that role they were given by merit of their birth.
Yes, finally someone who understand Luffy, many thinks because it was even stated 800 years ago that joyboy will come that Luffy is not free or completely Luffy alone. Yes it has similarities with Roger and he is indeed the joy personification in a boy, but not because of destiny, but because he is that way. Like in wano, when luffy ignores Bigmom and Kaido in roofpiece, Kinemon says will you carry the land of wano in your back after remembering everything that means the liberation of wano exactly in this year, Luffy says “Baka” like “you dumb, of course I will, it is the country of my friends!” He is doing it not to free wano and open the walls of Wano because of destiny, is doing it because Kaido messes with his friends. Clearly Luffy is not under Joyboy control, Luffy is the true Joyboy, more than the previous Joyboy!
Its similar to gone. Gon only did things that benefited him or affected friends or people he cared about
But Gon was never a chosen one tbh
@@vojtechtesar7114 You're right but they're both very similar. Gon's will is also basically indomitable which was made clear when he allowed his arm to be completely broken before giving up
@@mozzy1268 they are similar but only until the CA arc. Oda would never try what Togashi prepared for Gon.
Ehhh I don't fully agree. I mean I don't hate that Luffy is special but what you are trying to say that he is unique kind of "chosen one" is not what I agree on. The arguments you make can be made for any other series. Even Naruto. Like Naruto was only able to change his destiny and put a stop to cycle of hatred cause of his personality and his empathy towards others. How is Luffy any different? And as you said, everything CONVENIENTLY lined up for Luffy. How is that organic as you claim to be?
Also I can't take it seriously that Luffy is a pirate not a hero. He has saved people everytime. I would have loved to see him abandoning an Island where he didn't make any friends for this argument to work effectively.
Anyways I don't agree with most of the people that "chosen one" trope is bad or overused. Half the people don't even know what it means or difference between fate and destiny. And they write off those stories as bad without properly analyzing. You definitely can relate to "chosen one" MCs.
Luffy has caused tragedies though. Luffy taking down Doflamingo caused the collapse of several nations that couldn't get their weapons. Luffy gives not one single fuck about it.
Just saving people doesn't make you a Hero either. Crocodile has saved people. But no one is arguing that Crocodile is a Hero.
I like your opinion but I feel like one piece has the anime story I ever saw throughout other anime mainly because of this reason that they focus evenly on the MC and side characters and they have the best world building and power system.
As usual, very well broken down. I was thinking the same and it became especially obvious in Wano, where the "destiny" elemment was put plainly, but we knew Luffy's reasonings. Its all kind of a happy coincidence and I think it's brilliantly done. Another thing I was thinking, I believe one of the reasons it works so well is because Luffy and the Straw hats for the most part know nothing about the whole destiny business. They are just pursuing their own goal and it just so happens to be fulfilling something bigger as the same time.
Amazing video dawg
“Is Luffy the most unique Chosen One in Fiction “
No he is just another Chosen one Shonen Main character who isn’t in any form “unique “
amazing video morj
I'm a stong believer that when roger said "someone will be born " he was talking about someone else like vivi and not luffy
I don´t think so.
It was definitely 100% Luffy
this is just extreme cope
Luffy didn't born the chosen one, he became the chosen one because of his actions and ideals.
beautiful description as always.
To me, it's more like a prediction, a forecast that a person like this will come, not destiny.
it’s literally destiny by definition. the prophecy is not a prediction, it is what’s going to happen guaranteed, otherwise it wouldn’t be a prophecy
Been saying this for over a year now since G5 reveal. Luffy may be the “chosen one” but it wont affect anything, luffy will still choose to be free and do whatever he wants, which in turn is taking down the world gov and freeing the world
Neat backgrounds. I don't think I've seen them before?
Totally agree! Very good video, now I feel like I have some arguments on my sleeve to use when someone complains about luffy's destiny
Bro Morj
Its like a god voice when I hear this video
Love your work and always wanted more.😊
Nice one Morjie!
You are not free because you can do what you want to do. You are free because you always have the option to do what you ought to do.
One of the best morj analysis video, truly a classic
The music choice for this video was fire
Master Mroj video let’s go
Another top tier analysis, thanks for this morj. Possibly the most controversial aspect of the story imo and you laid it out perfectly. It seems you left the question open at the end, which i bet is exactly as Oda intended.
Reminds of Saul when he is saving Robin from the buster call and picks up the battleship. “I don’t know what Justice means here, so I’m just going to protect my friend!”
10:45 this moment is such a highlight for me and anyone who complains about g5 being "wah wah chosen one bs" will immediately be ignored
It's such a stark contrast to the super saiyan transformation where goku pretty much submits to the prophecy with his "I am" speech.
wtf are you talking about? the lengths that one piece fans will go to to avoid admitting that luffy is the chosen one is astounding to me
The I am speech was botched in the dub
Well as wise Aunt Wu would say "Just as you changed those clouds you have the power to rashape your own destiny"
Amazing analysis!
My top 3 OP channels are
4)Tekking- His trivia knowledge on OP world.
3)Jay D Legend- 6 letters, A G E N D A! I love his personal takes on OP, his roasting, and he's just entertaining. I can watch him all day
2) Huncho 619- His "Quiting D Job" series is The Best Skit on the Internet. Chopper and Beppo skits!
Honorable mention) CJ da Champ
1) Morj!!!- Morj is amazing coz he speaks to what I love most about the story, the narrative its self, the themes behind it, and just how he narrates!
Even our world yearns for someone like Luffy today. No ulterior motives, just someone who wants to party with his friends. Only difference, the world becomes his friend leading to a golden era in our world where all the bullshit brainwashing by social media and power plays by politicians would cease to exist.
This 100%. Well said
I would like to add, I find it interesting that ODA personifies the happiness of the world by taking down "false" gods. I wonder if we could irradiate our world of religion would we be able to end our differences, and finally do whats right without the need of moral intervention of a supreme leader?
@@redbeardhomesIn the last few centuries this was attempted and ended it in millions and millions of death and misery. From the French Revolution to Communist Russia, China and North Korea
@@redbeardhomes hey responding to this one too, I actually don’t believe that removing religion would improve things at all really. In fact that would more than likely increase the amount of “false gods” than there already are. The real issue imo is the abuse of and manipulation of religion as well as the tampering of it that’s gone on for who knows how long. The teachings of most of the mainstream religions are objectively helpful and fulfilling overall.
@@michaelpeak2438 I just think that all religions are deeply flawed and instigate more differences than unity. But you're right. By forcing eradication of religion you're still taking away some form of freedom which is against the ultimate goal that the world wants to attain.
He is joyboy, and joyboy is based on haitian voduo who is a deity , which is a god of hope, dance and music.
Joyboy goes around the land meeting people and playing music. Every time he met a city or town in despair he would play his drum for all to hear, creating a party in the process. The party would melt everyone's sadness away, giving way to a hope for the future. Even when he would leave, the people he played for would party and enjoy the life around them...
I also thought something like this when I'm analysing Luffys character like in brooder perspective. And you just put my thoughts in words.
Very interesting and well thought out video! I have always loved Luffy's free spiritedness, and with the BIG WANO REVEAL I saw a lot of people talking about how his character was "ruined" because the change somehow meant all his hard work was for nothing and he was just a "destined mary sue" all along. I loved hearing you tear this argument down and explain how he could be both a destined one and also still have his freedom. :)
Luffy about the troll Shanks and Imu so hard in the end game
What about the influence of the devil fruit to whoever eats it? How much is luffy free of the sun god nika of the devil fruit? I would assume not much because Luffy still feels like Luffy on the very quick time we've seen of him before the devil fruit, more importantly i think, Shanks still treats luffy the same before and after he's eaten gumgum
Vegapunk said that a zoan user can lose control of themselves due to the power of their awakening like the guards in impel down. But Luffy and Rob Lucci have successful awakenings, that lets them stay in control and be themselves.
People forget that Luffy was already like this before he ate the fruit.
Fighting for his friends, free willed.
People also forget that devil fruit not only influence its user but zoan df chose the person most suitable for them.
Luffy being the “chosen one” has always felt like more of an inevitability than a prophecy, if that makes sense, sure some characters knew it involved the nika fruit and joyboy somehow but it was inevitable that someone LIKE luffy was going to come along at some point, the greatest trait luffy has is his haki (or more broadly his willpower), just like rodger, and that’s completely unrelated to his devil fruit, he probably could’ve done every single thing he’s ever done without it, it’s more symbolic than anything
Overly Sarcastic productiond had a detailed daitribe about God of War. Specifically about it's take on Fate and Free Will. The Norse Gods are 'fated' to do certain things because of who they are ad people. They do have free will, it's just that they don't use it most of the time.
This is such a wholesome analysis on Luffy’s kind, pure heart
Luffy is the most chosen one of all chosen ones that can be chosen. The question is, just how much influence does the Nika fruit have on Luffys personality and his choices? Everythin allways goes the way Luffy wants, and he is suuuper lucky beyond anything ever
No it doesn’t because Ace died, and his crew was defeated at Sabaody.
@@adelumli3883 Ace died after luffy saved him. And sabody was ultimately not a defeat since Kuma saved them, and send all the strawhats to the perfect training spots.
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something-your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” Steve jobs.
in the end, if you have fullfilled your dream it will like you were Chosen for it, but you are the one who has chosen.
You just described Luke Skywalker and thought it was unique.
Another excellent video by Messieur Morj
By the way, I feel like Naruto falls into the "chosen one because of their own actions" category as well. You showed clips of Naruto at the beginning of the video, but Naruto was never the chosen one because he must have been but because he was a good person. For 90% of the story, he did not even know that the concept of the chosen one exists in verse. I just wanted to leave this info here because I think Naruto´s chosen one moment gets too much hate while it seems to be practically the same as in One Piece.
I wrote a comment trying to say the same thing but you put it much better thanks.
SPIT SPIT BROTHER I fucking hate these dumb ass RUclipsrs nowadays they are such great way to spread hate and misinformation they love to hate on Naruto when One Piece is literally going the same route like other shonen stories
Naruto made his decision to break the circle of Hatred and he succeeded
Honestly
@@stempest7218 thank you
I think the Naruto chosen one thing gets to people more because of the-
A. It felt like the Naruto manga was more focussed on Naruto being an underdog learning to become better rather than being naturally skilled, which felt undercut by the Asura reveal
B. Because it happened so late in the series that it felt like by the time it ended, that Naruto's extended powerset happened because of the reveal rather than it always being a part of the story
I think eventually people are gonna realise, oh shit, Luffy's chosen oneness is as bad as Naruto's, but I think it depends completely on how long we have left and how it's handled.
The title of the video alone is pure hype!
I can't think of any examples but I'm sure he isn't the only one like that regarding destiny.
Might be my favorite one piece analysis that I've watched🙏
It seems to me that Vivi will be one of the main reasons why Luffy takes on the WG. I can see a situation where Sabo&Dragon ask luffy what he’ll do and Luffy says he’ll fight the celestial dragons because Imu messed with Vivi and Cobra not because of prophecies.
A video where ur not saying something negative for once! Good job!
Honestly? All this seems incredibly standard chosen one to me. All the other chosen ones also just do stuff for personal reasons (and not cause they care about society or people in general) and then happen to save the world on a side note. It's kind of literally in the hero's journey even, that's how standard this is? In fact I would struggle to think of a chosen one that *doesn't* follow this?
And even among them Luffy is not that different. His pirate-isms are in practice not a big deal, compared to e.g. Goku and his bunch who keep actively endangering the earth just so they can fight strong opponents.
This, to me, seems like one of those "wow One Piece is so brilliant!!!!" videos about storytelling 101.
Lmao exactly
Luffy will be what he will be. King of the Pirates has an entirely different meaning if the govt goes down and there is no point in piracy anymore. I think that will be very interesting to explore.
Spot on Worj
What I love about the "prophecy" in One Piece, it is told as a history that happens on the past instead of predicting the future. That's why Luffy being the "chosen one" was never really a game changer for me. What I mean by this is that most prophecy foretold the hero's destiny and end goal. Like defeating the demon king or end wars. But in Joyboy's case he never was prophesised to be the pirate king, nor saving the world or create freedom. Most of the prophecy are just his track records and checklist of promises or plans. Like his track record of freeing slaves and promises to take mermaid princess to the surface. So not everything is set in stone. For all we know, Luffy never had truly freed slaves like Tiger did nor whether or not he fulfil his promise with shirahoshi. His destiny or future was never truly recorded. The only time we were given a prediction of his future, Luffy was not painted as a good guy and it has nothing to do with him being the "chosen one".
Destiny and fate these are the chains that bind me, these are the wings what set me free
As always Morj ends the debate the most eloquent way .
We might be on break but I was wondering where the new video was
Plus we were all chosen to fulfill our dreams and to fulfill other roles, so pursue your dreams and if you were meant for it you’ll reach there
Amazing video,cannot wait for the final saga to continue
“The way luffy is framed in the start of the story as a random boy is different than the way he’s framed now as a figure of destiny” THE FIRST CHAPTER SAYS LUFFYS VOYAGE OF DESTINY BEGINS AT THE END
Luffy's dream is to make vegetables available to everyone so that he can eat all the meat for himself without feeling guilty
I recently came across this perticular info that Indus valley civilization has a gap in its history. There was a civilization with ancient cities like harappa and mohenjodaro and then there is a void in our know;edge on history of around 4 centuries and then then our knowledge of history continues again at some 6 century BCE, which can be in some sense traced back from today.
It fells like a void century idea to me.
*So you say, Destiny has one path but one has freedom to do something about it. Luffy is freedom that just chose the path aligned with Destiny's own.*
*Do as I say not as I do.*
Great way to put. I think Luffys dream is going to inadvertently have to free the world from Imu. And I lowkey think his dream will be a pirate kingdom officially. But not like the current island but a kingdom of freedom and peace
We need to get back to Egghead. I'm ready to see how it all plays out. I've had my fill of outside events
It isn’t alienating at all to read about a chosen one (see Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter) as I’ve never heard that complaint on some of the previous most popular characters in 20th/21st century pop culture. I grew up thinking that secretly I was a chosen one and it was empowering. It would be terrible if we lose that in culture.
But the thick plot armour that the chosen ones get is hard to ignore, makes you feel your characters are in no danger and no stakes
Every main character gets plot armor.
@@jarontirosh324but when it’s canonical in universe plot armor like how it is with the chosen one trope it’s a completely different story. it goes from the main character maybe getting lucky to the universe is protecting the main character because they must fulfill their destiny.
Great video, however I will nitpick your intro. The chosen one trope is "almost archaic" statement specifically. Fiction, of every form, goes through trends and stylings. The "Chosen One" still exists in almost every major fictional work, even in things as surface level as Marvel comics. Just because it's become less popular *lately* doesnt mean it cant or wont (it will) resurge in popularity. I've studied literature from many, many cultures, religions, and time periods. You will notice trends rise and fall. Like the "anti-chosen one" or the "ill-fated one" i.e. someone who lives a constant downward spiral. Kafka comes to mind for that one.
In addition, the audience response very much depends on the execution of that trope, not on the trope itself.
The big caveat is that the nika nika fruit has a will of its own, "choosing" to end up with luffy. He became "the one" because of the man he is of his own right. His own choices and personality led to him becoming joyboy.
the nika fruit didn’t choose luffy, the fate and destiny did, unless you want to tell me that the fruit either whispered to luffy or used mind control on him then there’s no logical way that a fruit chose someone to eat it.
as for luffy making his own choices, other characters make choices too and luffy cannot control them. how many times has luffy almost died but survived due to something completely outside of his control?
@@elanadeshina1489 They did state that the fruit has "almost like a will of its own" And it stayed out of the hands of the world government for 800 years.
Interesting breakdown
Ironic. I always thought Luffy was tragic because he wants to be free, but he seems to be a tool of fate. He and many others seem to play roles in a drama that cycles back and forth between ages of good and evil like the sun and the moon, always coming to a head at given points.