Warning: Contains spoilers piece Chapter 1051
Although Monkey D. Luffy may be the protagonist pieceThe emotional climax of the Wano arc once again proves that he is not the hero of the story, at least not in the classic definition of the word. pieceThe unique story structure of “Wano” allows each line to have its own “hero”, and perhaps the most memorable one in Wano is Momonosuke.
piece It tells the story of Luffy’s journey to become the Pirate King, a journey that symbolizes the desire for freedom and adventure.world piece It consists of a vast body of water scattered with hundreds of islands, each with its own independent ecosystem, culture, and social and political customs. This makes each island a separate world where Luffy and his crew stop during their journey. However, each island in the comics is more than just a backdrop for the Straw Hats’ adventures, each has its own unique story told by a cast of memorable and often tragic characters. Most of the time, these small worlds are disrupted by evil forces (usually from outside), so Luffy and his comrades must play the role of liberators. However, the talent of the show’s creator Eiichiro Oda means that the local characters never feel like simple supporting players, and this is especially true for Wano.
“Wano Country Arc” is a grand story about tragedy, revenge and victory, with a total of 140 chapters and 14 volumes, telling four years of real life. Chapter 1051 finally ended with the ending of Momonosuke, the heir of the Kozuki family, who was transported to 20 years in the future by his mother’s power, where he avenged his parents and took back the country from the tyrant Kaido. Thanks to the help of his loyal samurai retainers and Luffy and his friends, Kaido is defeated and Momo can finally stand before the people of Wano and declare himself the returned, legitimate Shogun. Momo became an adult with the power of Devil Fruit. He spoke to the people of Huadu as an adult, but his mind was still that of an eight-year-old child. This moment was the culmination of a twenty-year story and gave Oda the opportunity to once again showcase his talents.
In Japanese, although Momo’s speech to his people is written in an eloquent manner, the bubbles contain fewer kanji than expected (written in 4th grade kanji). This also symbolizes that Momo has to rush through his childhood, metaphorically having to grow up quickly. Oda also nailed Momo’s adult design: he resembles his father, Oden, but not too much. What makes Momonosuke such a memorable character is that he was never a strong warrior like his father, but rather a scary child who constantly doubted himself. Going before the people and mustering up the courage to give a speech represents the end of Momo’s “hero’s journey”: he left his hometown as a child, experienced tragedy and conflict, and returned as a transformed, adult man. Oda emphasized the importance of the moment and added his own comments to the scene, declaring that Momo would become one of Wano’s greatest leaders in the future.
The “hero’s journey” is a common template in stories in which the hero embarks on an adventure, emerges victorious from a decisive crisis, and returns home renewed. The nature of Luffy’s adventures is that he will never experience the full catharsis of the hero’s journey unless Oda returns him to his hometown in the final chapter. That’s why real “heroes” piece Characters like Vivi in Alabasta or Momonosuke in Wano ended up because they went back to their roots and gave up the call to adventure, something Luffy could never things that will be done.
piece Chapter 1051 is now available on the Viz website.