This article contains spoilers for One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
One Piece is in the Elbaf arc right now, which means the story is well into the Final Saga, where Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are trying their utmost best to lay claim to the One Piece. It is here that Oda is finally going to reveal the most important characters to the fans, one by one.
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Of course, the Straw Hats are, and will always remain the main group that fans will follow, but in the Final Saga, a few characters will, undoubtedly, be more important. As it so happens, one character will definitely be more important than most Straw Hats in the Final Saga, and it is one of the Emperors of the Sea.
Luffy Is The Protagonist Of One Piece
- Luffy Is The Most Important Character
- The Straw Hats Are Crucial To the Plot
When it comes to the most important One Piece character, it is no surprise to know that Luffy stands at the very top. After all, he is the protagonist of the series and it only makes sense for him to be the one who drives the narrative more than any other individual in the series. Luffy continues to be extremely important in the world of One Piece, and, as fans know, his role is growing still.
I am Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will surpass you guys and become the Pirate King! — Luffy to Kaido and Big Mom
Along with him, the Straw Hats are also very important. That said, not all Straw Hats are focused on by Oda equally. Some, such as Sanji and Zoro, often receive more spotlight, and Nami is often thrown into the mix as well. Others, like Usopp, have been sidelined for quite a while now. That said, all of them are very important for the plot to move forward.
Shanks Is Very Important In The Final Saga
Shanks Maintains The Balance Of The World
When it comes to the most important character in the grand scheme of things in the final saga, it is, obviously, Luffy. But, after Luffy, it is going to be none other than Shanks. Oda has massive plans for Shanks in the final saga and this is quite evident. He's been saving Shanks for the Final Saga. In fact, Oda himself stated that a proper indicator of One Piece being in the Final Saga would be Shanks's frequent appearance.
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When Shanks appears frequently in manga, you can assume that One Piece has entered the final saga — Eiichiro Oda, 1998
Meanwhile, people who know the ending of One Piece and have been told of the plot in extensive detail by Oda, such as Goro Taniguchi, have previously stated that Shanks is just as important to the plot of One Piece as Luffy.
Shanks is just as important to One Piece as Luffy — Goro Taniguchi
Oda Will Give Special Focus To Shanks In The Final Saga
The fact is that Oda himself thinks of Shanks as a very special character with a massive role to play in the Final Saga. At the same time, Oda even believes himself to be like Shanks, or someone that he wants himself to be more like because he's just that good. Simply put, Shanks's role in the Final Saga is going to be extremely big and it is only a matter of time before his involvement is more direct.
One Piece Chapter 1162 will be out next 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 October 12. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1162 is October 12, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
