One Piece: Why did Zunesha call Luffy Joy Boy?

One Piece’s recent episode features the first glimpse of Gear 5. As Luffy starts awakening his devil fruit, the ancient elephant calls him Joy Boy. 

Joy Boy may be a mysterious character in One Piece, but no one can deny his significance in the story. As an influential figure during the Void Century, he is believed to have fought on behalf of the Fish-Men and Merfolk.

Joy Boy was first introduced in the Fish-Man Island Saga when Robin deciphered a Poneglyph, a letter Joy Boy wrote to the island’s inhabitants. It mentioned his unfulfilled promise to the Mermaid Princess.

In the Wano Country Saga, Zunesha told Momonosuke that it was Joy Boy’s comrade. Not only that but moments before Luffy awakened his devil fruit, Zunesha claimed that “Joy Boy has returned.” Delve deeper to find out the reason behind it.

Zunesha realizes that Luffy is the second Joy Boy

Since there is so little information about Joy Boy in One Piece, it was assumed that Joy Boy is the name of the person. However, Zunesha calling Luffy Joy Boy establishes the fact that it is actually a title. The title is given over to those with the power of the Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika. 

Luffy is only the second Joy Boy because the fruit itself evades others until it reaches its rightful owner. Luffy’s powers are so dangerous that the World Government has to destroy all traces of its existence. 

Their worst fears came true when Luffy awakened this devil fruit and easily overpowered the strongest Yonko, Kaido. Even now, the series has yet to reveal anything about the parallels between Luffy and the first Joy Boy. However, Zunesha announcing Joy Boy’s return is a sign that the ancient elephant is a very significant character in the story.

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

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 | 10 short anime series | JJK confirms Megumi’s return | Jujutsu Kaisen young Gojo | One Piece Episode 1071 | One Piece Gear 5 anime schedule | One Piece chapter 1089 | One Piece live-action trailer | Gojo honored one | Details in JJK Season 2 Episode 4 | Jujutsu Kaisen Reverse Cursed Technique