One Piece: Joy Boy's Real Successor Has Already Been Revealed, And It Isn't Luffy

One Piece is currently deeply focused on the incredible conflict of the Elbaf arc, and fans have seen Oda make some absolutely massive reveals about the legends of the world, including the likes of Rocks D. Xebec and even Imu. At the same time, Oda has also introduced the fans to bits and pieces about Joy Boy, or Sun God Nika, who is worshipped in the land of the Giants, Elbaf. As was clearly mentioned in the Egghead arc of One Piece, Joy Boy was born in the bountiful Ancient Kingdom which was eventually destroyed in the war against the 20 Kingdoms. At the end of this battle, Joy Boy died.

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However, his will is still alive. One Piece focuses heavily on the concept of Inherited Will, and this is exactly what makes the series as special as it is. Joy Boy may have died, but someone carries his will and goals. While Joy Boy's will is, undoubtedly, carried by Monkey D. Luffy, fans should keep in mind that there very well could be another successor of Joy Boy, although this one could be connected to him by blood. This person is none other than Red-haired Shanks, and while this may be surprising to many, it could actually be true, and it is strongly hinted at in the Elbaf flashback.

Shanks Could Be Connected To Joy Boy Through Lineage

Shanks Is From God Valley Where the Buccaneers Lived

• Joy Boy And Shanks Share Many Similarities
• Shanks's Haki Is Comparable To Joy Boy

First things first, Shanks isn't the one who will liberate the world of One Piece and he isn't Joy Boy either. Shanks doesn't have the power of the Nika fruit, and he isn't the Warrior of Liberation. In that sense, Shanks isn't Joy Boy, and he will never be that. However, when it comes to blood relations, things are a bit different.

One Piece focuses on the concept of Inherited Will often, but that doesn't mean blood doesn't play a significant role in the story. For example, Blackbeard is the descendant of Davy Jones from the Void Century, and fans know that Davy Jones caused the Government all sorts of trouble long ago.

When it comes to Shanks, most fans focus on the fact that he is the son of Garling Figarland. This is true, and Shanks is part-Celestial Dragon. However, what most fans ignore is the fact that his mother could be important too. Shanks's mother was from the Island of Fate, God Valley. This very island housed several members of the Davy Clan, some of whom could also be Buccaneers. Clearly, those who live on this island are closely related to Joy Boy, Davy Jones, and the Buccaneer race.

Shanks's Mother Is An Important Character

The Red Hair Is More Important Than Fans Think

To add to that, Oda has officially confirmed that Shanks inherited his red hair not from his father, but from his mother. Garling has blond hair, and it is Shanks's mother who has red hair. Yet, Shanks based everything about him on his mother. He is known as ‘Red Hair’, and he even named his crew after what he inherited from his mother. Shanks even calls the sake from God Valley in the West Blue the best he's ever had. For some reason, Oda refused to show the fans the face of Shanks's mother. This isn't just an accident. Oda hid her face on purpose, and it is because she's extremely important.

Shanks is also called the Child of Destiny, and while he isn't Joy Boy, he is the one who inherited his blood, and Oda has hinted at it multiple times in the story. Firstly, Oda's prototype for One Piece had a Red-haired character with an eye patch. This prototype is often mistaken for Roronoa Zoro, but the red hair is a strong giveaway that this was, indeed, Shanks. Oda also wants to introduce an eye patch pirate in the Final Saga, and this could very well be Joy Boy. A red-haired character with an eye patch could be Shanks's ancestor from the Void Century, or, in other words, Joy Boy.

Shanks And Joy Boy Look Alike

Oda Has Highlighted Similarities

It would be weird to assume that all the legends in the One Piece world had kids, such as Davy Jones, Rocks, Roger, and potentially even Whitebeard, but not Joy Boy. More likely than not, Joy Boy had a kid, and they eventually settled in God Valley. Shanks's mother is likely a descendant of Joy Boy.

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Furthermore, in One Piece chapter 626, fans get their first glimpse of Joy Boy, and his silhouette looks exactly similar to that of Shanks. In One Piece 1122, fans saw another glimpse of Joy Boy, and once again, he was seen wearing clothes similar to Shanks', and he even had the iconic Straw Hat. Most of all, Joy Boy had incredibly powerful Haki, and as fans know already, Shanks is known to have incredibly powerful Haki too. Perhaps, this is an innate ability of those connected to his clan. Most of all, Oda drew a direct comparison between Shanks and Joy Boy in Egghead, when Joy Boy's Haki was unleashed. It was said that Joy Boy's Haki was comparable to Shanks.

Shanks And Joy Boy Are Related

Shanks's Mother Carries Joy Boy's Blood

It goes without saying that Shanks and Joy Boy are extremely similar in silhouette, Haki, and even personality. Shanks is even the child of destiny, and was born on the island of destiny, which is deeply connected to Void Century, Davy Clan, and Buccaneers. Shanks's mother's face was never revealed to the fans, nor was her name ever made public. Based on everything that Oda has shown so far, there is a solid chance that Shanks is the current Joy Boy, in the sense that he carries his blood. His job, however, isn't to topple Imu. Joy Boy's will is carried by someone else entirely, and fans know that to be Luffy, but the facilitator of it all is none other than Red-haired Shanks, the man who brings peace to the world. Hopefully, Oda will reveal more key bits of information about Shanks soon enough, but for now, fans can sit back and enjoy the Elbaf arc as it continues.

One Piece Chapter 1161 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on September 28. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1161 is September 28, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.