One of the most important characters in One Piece is Monkey D. Dragon, the commander of the Revolutionary Army and the ‘World’s Worst Criminal.’ He is the son of semi-retired Marine Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp and the father of Monkey D. Luffy, the series’ main character and the Emperor. Dragon’s skills are yet unknown, although based on his standing as the Revolutionary Army’s commander, he seems to be quite strong.
According to some myths, a dragon’s devil fruit skills include the ability to manipulate the weather, control clouds, and control the waters of rivers, lakes, and oceans. He is the most dangerous and sought-after individual in the world, as well as the biggest enemy of the World Government. Now, talking about devil fruits that go hand in hand with One Piece characters, rumor has it that Dragon’s Secret Devil Fruit Might Be Eiichiro Oda’s Tribute to The Original Godfather of Anime, Dragon Ball Z. Let us dive into yet another mystery that a devil’s fruit can unfold.
Also read:5 Unsolved One Piece Mysteries That Annoys Anime Fans
What is Monkey D. Dragon’s Devil Fruit Power?
The devil fruit used by Monkey D. Dragon is thought to be a Mythical Zoan-style fruit called Fish-Fish Fruit, Model Shenlong. Considering that Shenlong’s definition is: Chinese folklore features the spiritual dragon Shenlong as the sage of storms and rain bringer, He is just as important as other creatures like the celestial dragon Tianlong. All of agriculture relies on the wind, clouds, and rainfall that are governed by the spiritual dragons, which have azure scales. Many people think that the weather and the dragon’s devil fruit are connected. The Shenlong’s capability neatly suits this.
This certainly wouldn’t be the first devil fruit in One Piece to draw inspiration from Chinese legend. The Fish-Fish Fruit, Model Azure Dragon, which is the demon fruit of Kaido, is modeled after a dragon from Chinese legend. The Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Yamata-no-Orochi, is the demon fruit that inhabits Orochi and is based on Chinese folklore.
With a cape of green that spans the majority of his entire physique and a red scar on his face, Monkey D. Dragon resembles the Shenlong dragon, which is totally green with a few spots of red. Dragon’s hair has gotten a little longer since the time leap and now extends beyond his shoulders on his back.
Eiichiro Oda’s potential tribute to Dragon Ball Z mangaka Akira Toriyama
On December 21, 2021, Eiichiro Oda made an appearance (albeit in voice form) in the Japanese TV program Paper and Sama-zu and discussed, among other things, how Dragon Ball Z influenced his artistic approach. Oda revealed his inner Dragon Ball fanatic throughout the conversation by claiming that the reason he reread Dragon Ball the most was to emulate Toriyama’s illustration technique. The eighth editor of One Piece, Suguru Sugita, said in a different interview that “One Piece was a deliberate subversion of Dragon Ball due to its significantly more complex tale and characters, whereas Dragon Ball is a Manga renowned for its simplicity.”
Now, the Shenlong Dragon has played a significant role in the Dragon Ball manga, and the name Monkey D. Dragon really does contain the word ‘Dragon.’ And given that Dragon Ball is Oda’s favorite series and a major source of inspiration for it, Oda might want to express his gratitude to its creator, Akira Toriyama. Because previously, in an interview with Akira Toriyama, Oda gave a one-word summary of Luffy and explained where the character’s attributes came from:
“Manliness. Dragon Ball has already done all the things that a child could possibly be happy about. So, I used that as the basis to start from, so I didn’t go against it.”
Eiichiro Oda has often stated that he has loved Dragon Ball throughout his childhood. In the same interview as Toriyama, Oda explained his first encounter with the world-famous Shounen series:
“How I first encountered Toriyama-sensei’s manga was the second episode of Dragon Ball, regardless of when it was. I fell in love at first sight. I thought, He’s too good! At that time, I loved Disney, but I was thinking, This is even better than Disney stuff! Dragon Ball is a masterpiece.”
In a nutshell, Oda expressed his thoughts in WSJ issue 33 on his childhood hopes of one day becoming a mangaka and how Toriyama’s art captivated him.
Also read:One Piece: 7 Most Powerful Paramecia Devil Fruits That Put the Strongest Logia Type to Shame
Source: Reddit
