One Piece: What we know about Joy Boy so far

Tulisha srivastava
An image of Drums of Liberation and Joy Boy's return in One Piece

In One Piece, Joy Boy is a mysterious figure who lived during the Void Century. His legacy transcends the boundaries of time. Here’s everything we know about him so far.

One Piece doesn’t fall short of introducing mysterious characters such as Shanks, Mihawk, Im, and so many more. Yet, no other character is as important as puzzling as Joy Boy in the entirety of the series. 

Ever since the series revealed Luffy’s true powers, the hype around Joy Boy has increased tremendously. However, the mysteries surrounding him kept on increasing just as much.

First mentioned in the “Fish-Man Island Arc,” the series often hints about his existence, but they’re too subtle to figure out the truth from 800 years ago. 

Joy Boy is a title in One Piece and not a name

Luffy One Piece episode

Joy Boy is always believed to be an individual. During Roger’s visit to Laughtale, he expressed his wish to be in the same era as Joy Boy. However, there’s no clarity as to whether the ‘era’ Roger talked about is the past or the future. 

What’s more, Luffy’s devil fruit awakening was sensed by Zunesha, and he claimed Joy Boy’s return. This meant that as soon as Luffy realized his true powers, he himself became Joy Boy. Kozuki Oden’s wife, Amatsuki Toki, came from the Void Century in order to meet the second Joy Boy.

The comrades of the first Joy Boy

An image of Zunesha from One Piece

The only people associated with Joy Boy are the Mermaid Princess of the Void Century and Zunesha. One of the ancient weapons, Poseidon, is the power inherited by the Mermaid Princess in the era when a great change was about to happen in the world. 

While Luffy is a close ally to the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi, the first Joy Boy has the same relationship as one from his era. On the other hand, the relationship between Zunesha and Luffy’s predecessor is even more mysterious. Momonosuke explained that Zunesha and Joy Boy were comrades, but the rest remained history. 

It is also highly likely that Zunesha committed a crime for his comrade’s sake and got punished for it. Even centuries after his comrade’s death, Zunesha remembers him and is elated at his return through Luffy.

The real-life inspiration behind Joy Boy from One Piece

A still from Gear 5 Luffy teaser One Piece Episode 1071

Eiichiro Oda is known for drawing real-life inspirations to incorporate into the world of One Piece. He takes inspiration from real-life locations, famous personalities, several religions and mythologies, and even literary works. 

Joy Boy is a figure mentioned in the “Encylopedia of Things That Never Were” by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen. Published in 1985, the book describes Joyboy as a figure from Caribbean folklore associated with humans’ need to dance, sing, and celebrate. 

He was brought to the Caribbean islands along with West African slaves. He smiled at all the world’s problems and cured the ills of humanity by playing his drum. His dance and song are said to cast off the black veil of despair. 

In the series, Luffy’s heartbeat took on the sound of the “Drums of Liberation” after awakening his powers. Gorosei also mentioned that the user of this power would gain enormous strength as the “warrior of liberation” and would fight with a smile on his face.

The message left behind by Joy Boy to foretell his return

An image of Robin reading the Poneglyph in One Piece

The first time Joy Boy was mentioned in One Piece was when Robin deciphered the Poneglyph in Fish-Man Island. It was a letter written by him addressing his grief over not fulfilling his promise to the Mermaid Princess. He also expressed his desire to carry on that promise towards the future and fulfill it someday. 

The future that he spoke of is the current era where Luffy will fulfill the said promise. For reasons unknown, people from the Void Century were aware of Joy Boy’s return over 800 years in the future.

The mysterious treasure known as “One Piece” is said to have everything the world has to offer. The world believes that it is Roger’s treasure, but the truth is far from it. 

At some point in his life, the first Joy Boy traveled to an unknown island that was later named “Laughtale” by Roger. On that island, Joy Boy left behind a treasure that would come to become known to the world as One Piece. 

One Piece can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out our other anime coverage below:

Genya’s abilities in Demon Slayer | Muzan Kibutsuji abilities in Demon Slayer | Demon Slayer’s The Infinity Castle | Kagaya Ubuyashiki abilities in Demon Slayer | Demon Slayer Thunder Breathing 7th form | Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 7 | Hell’s Paradise Episode 8 | The real villain in Hell’s Paradise | Hell’s Paradise’s Elixir of Life | One Piece’s Empty Throne | One Piece creator | One Piece manga hiatuses | One Piece Red Hair Pirates | One Piece Shanks’ twin theory | Bleach vs Naruto | Naruto’s Talk no Jutsu problem

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About The Author

Tulisha is an anime writer at Dexerto. In the past, she has worked for Comic Book Resources. She is most knowledgeable about Shonen series, particularly One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen. You can contact her at tulisha.srivastava@dexerto.com