One Piece by Eiichiro Oda is a story that has gotten the attention of its readers for the longest time because it offers mystery and secrets that are well-kept by the creator. Some of them have been under wraps for decades, and longtime fans have been paitently waiting for them to be finally revealed.
Within the fandom itself, they have been speculating and theorising about all the smallest details because it is a trend noticed where Oda drops an incredibly small detail which might feel insignificant initially, but then would turn out to be important in the future.
Now that we have entered the Final Saga, it is supposedly the final stretch of the story. With that, Oda has been revealing some major secrets and lore drops that have shaken the fandom to its core. Recently, in One Piece Chapter 1181, we see Imu talking about Joyboy using a tone that gives us the idea that maybe they were not always enemy. But that is not the only detail that caught the attention of the readers.
The silhouette of Joyboy looked like Luffy, with some even suggesting that it resembles Inaki Godoy from the live-action adaptation. At first glance, it might seem like a far-fetched theory, but if we were to take a closer look at it, we might start seeing something that proves that Eiichiro Oda is upto something. It could be more symbolic rather than literal, but there is some substance to this recent theory.
Joyboy in One Piece is one of the most important characters in the story, yet we know next to nothing about him. Originally, he is from the Void Century, a part of this series history that the World Government, till now, has done its absolute best to keep as a secret. The only thing we know till now is that Joyboy had once made a promise to the Fishmen but failed to keep it and left behind the Poneglyphs as a message to the future.
Now, with Luffy, it seems like he has inherited the will of Joyboy. In One Piece, with all the context we have, he is someone who represents freedom, laughter, and liberation against those who oppress others. Now, Inaki Godoy, who is playing the role of Monkey D. Luffy in the live-action adaptation, is praised for being an almost perfect main character.
Fans started connecting him to Joyboy after noticing something interesting: Oda himself has expressed strong approval of the live-action cast, especially Iñaki. Some even believe that Oda subtly draws inspiration from him when sketching Luffy in recent chapters. It would be fun if Joyboy’s final design ended up either resembling the Luffy we know or maybe an extension of Inaki.
Is Joyboy actually Luffy or someone who looks like him in One Piece?
For nothing, the creator has not confirmed anything because Joyboy’s face reveal is yet to happen. But looking at the pace of this story, one thing is for sure: Eiichiro Oda just might continue to maintain this mystery for a little more time. Till then, this theory continues to dominate all the social media forums of this fandom because it is an important part of One Piece.
In the end, whether Joyboy ends up looking like Luffy, Inaki as Luffy, or anyone else, the message that is associated with this character is not going to change. History might repeat, and in his case, that loop might be closer than we think.
Edited by Nisarga Kakade