#almost all of the characters i create and end up resonating with the most are in some way about... disappointment; really

[invinciblerodent]

anyway, I really, really love how, if you romance Davrin, there's that beautiful moment in the final goodbye when he refers back to (at least one of-) the lines that can be said in the main romance scene:

[Davrin: You said you wanted the road less-traveled. Seems like we've got it right here.

Davrin: All I care about is that I'm there with you.]

after a personal storyline that's in large part about him overcoming an aversion of uncertainty, and embracing the potential for change and choosing who one wants to be (like most of the others, but it's arguably even more pronounced in his, as it's reflected through the griffons' story), that's just a really beautiful sentiment.

after spending so long thinking of himself as a weapon, believing one's destiny to be set in stone, even believing himself -and by extension, the griffons- to be "meant" for one immutable thing by their very nature...

it feels very satisfying and touching to know that he's willing to head into an unknown future with nothing truly secure, except for the hand holding his.

[inaconstantstateofchange]

Who Builds Theseus' Ship?

This ties in to a greater discussion about Larian's changes to the game post-Full Release, and whether you consider those changes to be a good thing or a bad thing. Personally speaking, the quality-of-life and gameplay mechanics improvements were appreciated, while the direct changes to characters and especially characterization were not so much.

In such discussions, I often see people downplaying the actual changes to characterization that have been made thus far as "minor" things, but I often see one of the most glaring examples of a characterization change left out, because so many people aren't even aware of it ever happening:

Halsin.

For those who don't know, if you were romancing Halsin at the time of the original full release, and for almost four months afterward, if you took him with you to Act 3's orgy scene in Sharess's Caress, he would open up about a situation in his distant past. He would tell you about how he had briefly been "something between guest, prisoner, and consort" in a drow House, and been kept there for three years before escaping.

He stated that this was something that happened "a long time ago", when he was "a foolhardy young druid", which would mean it would likely have been between ages 100 and 245 — or at minimum 105 years ago, and at (likely) maximum 250 years ago. He closed the discussion with a line that really struck me, and that gave me such an appreciation for his character, and for the writers who had created it:

The passage of time has a strange way of polishing even the most arduous of memories into precious keepsakes.

As someone in their late-20s, with a number of traumatic events in my past, this resonated so much both with my experience of those events – once harrowing and haunting, now just simple happenings that do not affect me the way they once did – and as an inspirational message, that hurt would not necessarily linger forever.

Not only that, I really valued the insight it gave into Halsin's personality, further showing him to be someone who was deeply complex and meditative, always looking for meaning and something to take away or learn from any experience. It also served to showcase the likely reality of the relationship elves and druids both would have to the concepts of time and memory. (Another example of this is the experience of Shadowheart's father compared to her mother at the hands of the Sharrans.)

I started playing the game almost immediately upon its release in August, and was intrigued by Halsin from the start. He was someone who was kind and heartfelt, but also very settled in himself and with a simultaneously rigid and very flexible moral code. It was that complexity that drew me to him, and I appreciated the inclusion of a character distinct from the Origin companions, all at close to the lowest point of their lives.

It was to my surprise to find that this appreciation for his character and perspective on his Act 3 revelation was not unanimous. As it turned out, there was a vocal group of people claiming that this writing was problematic, and that Halsin clearly didn't even realize he was actually traumatized, and that Larian needed to fix it. Not everyone joining in with this crusade had even played the game.

And, ultimately, in a pattern they have continued to follow, Larian responded. They fixed it. At the end of November, as part of Patch 5, they uploaded an edited version of the scene with new dialogue, where the player could express this "reality" to Halsin, in one of the most gallingly patronizing statements I've ever seen.

Sounds traumatic. You may need to reflect on that.

(If someone said this to me after I had opened up to them about my trauma and my experience of it to them, we would not be maintaining a cordial relationship afterward.)

Halsin's new response to these dialogue options is a cringing, self-deprecating cascade of how the player is of course right, and he should have known better, and time could "prove to be a trickster on one's recollections" and that perhaps he had "lost perspective".

Quite frankly, it is a completely different character answering, and an almost directly opposing overall message about the role of time in healing, and the path forward when it comes to trauma. No more "one day these events will not hurt to recall the way they do now". In its stead: "only healing that looks a specific way and follows a specific path is acceptable - anything else and you are simply a poor fool lying to yourself."

The following quote is from a comment left on a video of Halsin's original dialogue in that scene, before the changes, and is just one example of how much that representation meant to more than just me to see:

That said, Halsin is trauma recovery goals for me absolutely. Being able to remember without actually being triggered? Being able to fully and freely engage HOW ID LIKE TO instead of being fettered by trauma responses? Goals. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there 100%, we don’t get elven lifetimes irl, but his level of healing brings me hope.

Ultimately, this post is not meant to argue that you should agree with me that one is better than the other. More so, I want to highlight that this existed — for many people, this was their experience of events and characters, and that is not so easily redacted. And I also want to just state, for the record, that Larian's way of approaching narrative and characterization changes to their full-release game has been incredibly frustrating. I did not agree, in August, to play an Early Access game with the inherent understanding that any potential narrative aspect might change at any time. I purchased a full-release game, and immersed myself in the story and the characters, to get to know them as the writers had originally presented.

And when Larian makes these changes based on fan feedback, they are explicitly making decisions about which fans matter, and specifically, which fans matter most. Rather than allowing everyone to experience the story they decided to tell, and draw from it what they take away, and let that spark discussion and engagement, they made the decision to defer to some fans over others, and prioritize their experience of the narrative — something that, no matter how well-intended, is always going to leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

[indigo-casson]

something that i've been thinking about lately is the parallels between star wars: andor/rogue one and tamora pierce's trickster's queen duology. primarily because the star wars brainrot is real and the tamora pierce obsession is forever, but also because they are kind of both tonal and thematic departures from their main 'verses in some similar ways?

in both the star wars verse and the tortall verse, the majority of the media has focused on one individual (or a small group of individuals) who make a profound difference in the world. Whether that's alanna singlehandedly finding the dominion jewel/becoming king's champion/making way for female knights, or luke skywalker blowing up the death star, or daine and numair going to the divine realms during the immortals war, or anakin skywalker becoming a sith and dooming the republic, most of the original material has seen battle and political change as something that is affected by either an actual chosen one or simply a single very plucky and well-placed individual.

trickster's queen and andor, however, really look at rebellion as something that has to be done by a diverse group of flawed people who work together despite their differences. mon mothma knows that her role is raising money. ulasim, chenaol, and the other members of the raka conspiracy each take their individual roles in the rebellion, and recognize that even though they might not want to work with aly or the luarin nobility, they need their skills and influence to make it happen.

both stories also show rebellion as extremely costly and something that requires making tough calls. nobody has their hands clean by the end of a civil war. notably, trickster's queen explicitly narrowly avoids having the protagonists kill a group of 5 year olds. luthen is ready to kill cassian when he becomes a liability, and cassian does kill lots of people, including some allies whose only "crime" is being susceptible to giving up rebellion secrets.

in rogue one, we don't like davits draven because he orders jyn's father killed, and that just feels wrong. jyn is our heroine and it upsets her, so emotionally it's distressing. but of course, draven and cassian and jyn are all working towards the same goal. draven did what he had to--galen erso is a liability as long as he's alive. dove and sarai's little brother elsren has to die because he's a direct heir to the throne, ahead of his sisters. it doesn't matter that he's five and totally innocent. as long as he lives, a luarin has a greater claim to the throne than a raka, and as long as that's true, the rebellion can't succeed.

in the star wars original trilogy, people for sure die! i'm not trying to say that they don't, but it's definitely not something that's shown affecting our protagonists on a deep, emotional level. they're all side characters, or else they come back as force ghosts. the prequels are uh. fucking tragic, but at the end of it, almost all of our heroes make it out. even the casualties of the war are droids vs clones, which is to say, totally interchangeable cannon fodder on both sides!

the number of character deaths in the tortall 'verse is fewer, probably because it's primarily created for middle grades, but even when people do die, they're either demonstrably bad people or minor enough characters that the emotional resonance isn't the same.

by contrast, at the end of trickster's queen, almost the majority of the main conspirators die in battle, not to mention those who don't even make it to the final conflict. at the end of rogue one, all of our heroes are dead, and people aren't exactly making it out of andor s1 in good shape either. more than half of the aldhani team dies on that mission.

I could go on further, but I think my main takeaway is that once you've invested a lot of time and attention and fandom into a 'verse, you have a lot more leeway to tell different kinds of stories. tamora pierce could not have written trickster's choice until after the values and world of tortall were so clearly established, and if she had, it wouldn't have had the impact that it did. similarly, part of what makes rogue one/andor so striking is the fact that it is such a departure from the preexisting values and story format of star wars.

for every chosen one we see in media, there are hundreds of people working behind the scenes to make their big, death star destroying moment possible. the only way to improve society is through collective action, and part of that is that everyone's hands are going to get dirty. i think lots of people want to imagine that they could be like luke skywalker and swoop in 2 weeks before the battle of yavin and become a hero, but the fact of the matter is that that's not how the world works! war requires us to do things that would ordinarily go against our values, but in the context of a drawn out, bloody, thankless battle, maybe we decide the ends justify the means.

[snakeautistic]

I love finding characters I can relate (/project onto) within media. There’s something so comforting about seeing yourself on screen. I end up headcanoning most of them to be in-line with my identities (lesbian, wasian, autistic) because they are literally me in my head!!

Anyway here’s a long ass list of my favorite characters and why I head canon them as autistic for fun!! If you have any others you’d like to add I’d love to hear them. (And please note this is just my interpretation, and highly based on my experience with autism. I’m not saying they’re definitely autistic or that all the traits I listed are the dsm-5 criteria or something.)

Princess Bubblgeum from adventure time:

This girl is peak evil scientist autistic. Her intense need for control, the way she carefully observes the citizens she created, an outsider to them, not quite like them… god it’s so perfect. I read her as being somewhat low empathy as well, it’s hard for her to change her perspective to that of others. Plus the fact her brother neddy is a pretty obvious metaphor for higher supports needs autism. I think they of represent how autism runs in the family and appears in all sorts of different ways in different people. They’re sort of two different representations of the spectrum.

Marcy wu from amphibia

I mean this one is just obvious. The biggest nerd of all time. So obsessed with her RPG special interest that she literally sucks her and her friends into a fantasy world. She’s clumsy (just like me fr), very smart but super socially awkward, a little oblivious and naive. She’s terrified of change, especially if it means abandoning the few social bonds she’s been able to make. I honestly find it hard to believe this wasn’t intentional.

Entrapta from she-ra

Another pretty overt example. I do have some issues with how she was portrayed in the show- (keeping her on a leash was weird.) but overall I really love her. She understands her tech, not people, and it can cause her to come into conflict with other characters. Their treatment of her makes me sad at times, but it’s realistic. I also love some of her other quirks, her love of tiny food, her exitable demeanor, ect.

Pearl from Steven Universe

Peridot is the more obvious example of an autistic character in SU, and while I agree she’s coded that way, I personally resonate more with Pearl. She is not very socially aware, and bothered by disruptions to her routine/ broader life changes. She doesn’t like to break rules (despite being a literal rebel lol.) I find it interesting how she seems to have the poorest understanding of life on earth out of the gems, despite having lived here for thousands of years. She is graceful, but has an almost sort of awkward gangly-ness to her that I relate to. Her neuroticism is also very similar to how my anxiety disorder presents.

Pearl has a tendency to infodump, without realizing those around her are uninterested. Even her relationship with Rose struck a chord with me. The hopeless devotion to her, the way she followed along at her side. It’s how many of my friendships have been. Obvious it’s not exactly the same considering Pearl having originally been her servant, but while not being an explicitly autistic trait, that sort of clingy, starstruck relationship is something autistic people are prone to developing. She does little hand stims at times too that I love to see.

Poison Ivy (specifically the version in the Harley Quinn animated show)

I’m surprised I haven’t seen more people mention poison Ivy. Fiercely intelligent and deeply introverted, she isolates herself from all people, and only connects with and understands her plants. (Which her deep affinity for can definitely be read as a special interest.) She very overtly has trouble forming relationships with others.

She’s blunt, socially awkward and a loner, has something of a flat effect and a monotone voice. Those around her initially read her as cold and impersonable.Her struggle with social anxiety as well as intense fear of failure/ low self esteem is also very relatable to me. She also often struggles to express/understand her feelings and emotions. Her radical political ideas and the fact that she’s literally an ecoterrorist paints her as having a very strong sense of justice and a somewhat black and white worldview. (Me)

Finally, her relationship with Harley just SCREAMS neurodivergent solidarity. Harley Quinn is (I think canonically) adhd, and they’re both outsiders in the world that found each other and just… get each other. She’s Ivy’s closest and only friend and amazing girlfriend and god it’s all so perfect.

They remind me a lot of the relationship I have with my best friend with adhd except theirs is gayer.

[zzthekaiju]

Best of the Reptiles in Media - 01 - Godzilla (Monsterverse)

I figure that while I'm using this blog, I might as well post my ramblings on a subject dear to my heart: That being the representation of reptiles as characters in media. And not just villainous or vile ones like we're so used to. I'm talking about ones that inspire me. The ones that are legitimately compelling to me. And these posts are an excuse to espouse why.

Plus, it's just fun. You can thank the likes of @tyrantisterror and @bogleech for inspiring me to do these.

So who better to start with than with the lizard who's been an inspiration to me for almost my entire life. That being the one known as Gojira. AKA...Godzilla.

This is the one character in these posts who probably needs no introduction. Ever since his debut in 1954, the walking embodiment of the horrors of nuclear war, among other things, has been nothing less than an icon. This is the beast people think about when they hear "giant monster" or "kaiju". This is truly the King of the Monsters.

My introduction to Godzilla was a children's book called "Godzilla on Monster Island". It was a fun read full of neat monsters living together and teaming up to stop an evil plan. And it left me wanting more. I wanted more stories of these fantastic yet friendly beasts being friends and living together while having fun adventures. Little me was a bit disappointed to find that Godzilla spent more time fighting his fellow kaiju and trashing cities instead.

The truth, as I would find out, was that Godzilla is never just one thing. He is a fun defender of the Earth. He's the terrifying consequences of our tampering with both nature and science. And in recent memory, he's been a lot of other things. But most of the time, he's either hero or mankind's hubris on two legs. To me, he was a giant dinosaur that could fire thermonuclear breath, and that was all that mattered. It was after hearing about the historical significance of him that my respect doubled.

Back then, I would tell you that my favorite Godzilla from a design standpoint was the 2002 version. Personality wise, almost every Showa appearance post-1964.

But in 2014, everything changed. In came a Goji that seemed to have everything I could ask for. So, we're going to look at the one that resonates with me the most. The Monsterverse version.

That right there is perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring entrances I've ever seen in a cinema.

Before the release of Godzilla (2014), the franchise had entered something of a slump period. The last film was all the way back in 2004, and sadly, the kaiju genre was still something of a niche thing growing up. Here in America, you either liked superheroes or real-life celebrities as a kid. If you liked monsters, let alone giant monsters, you were one of the weird kids. That, or one of the kids who never lost their passion for dinosaurs. But those were rare.

Then Gareth Edwards unleashed this film, and while one could argue that Pacific Rim (2013) got the ball rolling, THIS ultimately resurrected the entire franchise of the Big G, and got him a degree of general respect from most film-goers (so long as you ignore the irritating internet drama regarding screen-time back then).

But let's get to the meat of this post. Why is this Godzilla so much better to me than the rest? A few things, really.

First off, there's Godzilla's role in the Monsterverse's narrative. For the most part, he is a guardian of the natural order, a means of bringing balance to imbalance. He is a metaphor for how nature is capable of righting itself, and how we either have to deal with it, or live with the consequences. In practice, Godzilla ends up going up against almost every monster, most of which are only a threat because we awakened them/created them. Yet despite this, he doesn't go out of his way to destroy us. He's not mindlessly destructive or particularly vengeful either. He knows we're a part of the world too. We just tend to grate a bit more on his nerves because of how much we screw up. If there's one thing this series isn't afraid to show, it's that...well, "the arrogance of man is thinking nature is within our control, and not the other way around."

Design-wise, this is one of the best Godzilla's around. He's bulky, has a killer stare, and there's something oddly endearing about how...well, meaty he is. He's like if my aforementioned previous favorite design, the 2002 one, put on both a lot of muscle and weight. It also ties into his fighting style, said to have been inspired particularly by bears. Even the sounds associated with him are amazing. From that hype-inducing charge of his thermonuclear breath to what might be the best rendition of the classic roar.

Then there is the body language. This Godzilla's usual gait is slow, almost plodding at times. He shows clear signs of exhaustion in some scenes. What he goes through is hard, and his job is even harder, but he still does it. It really helps sell his personality most of the time.

Part of why I like the Monsterverse so much is that, for the most part, the kaiju are treated as characters in their own right (that's not to say they weren't in previous iterations, far from it, but it's a bit more pronounced here than most of the post-Showa stuff). Sure, some films in this verse are better about it than others (more on that later...), but I like how you can glean what Godzilla is thinking of just by looking at his eyes. Of particular note is how they widen in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" when Ghidorah gains the upper hand during the final battle, his absolute sneer of anger in the first movie when the male MUTO approaches him, or...this.

This scene. This one right here encapsulates so much of what I love about this iteration. Where Godzilla, dazed and thoroughly battered by both the fight with the MUTOS and having a building fall right on him, locks eyes with a tiny little soldier. You see a sense of tiredness, of pain, of acknowledgement, and maybe even a little wonder. This is not just some mindless beast fighting for its turf. It's a thinking being. And he's hurt. The most powerful creature on the planet isn't invincible, neither on the outside and definitely not on the inside.

And you know what? I've been there. There are times where I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world, that there are things too heavy to bear, and its suffocating. Godzilla constantly shows throughout the Monsterverse that his job as a living balancing act is wearing on him. He gets put through so. Much. Crap. From getting buildings dropped on him to being personally dropped from a distance above the clouds to watching his symbiotic partner/mate die, it's almost unfair how we're expected to not really sympathize with him as much as...I'll get to that later.

But he never gives up. Despite all the pain and fatigue, he gets back up, and he fights. And he fights. And he continues until the deed is done. Someone has to rise to the occasion, and it might as well be him. If not him, then who?

That is the biggest reason I resonate with this Godzilla. His awe-inspiring design is one thing, but he gave me the strength to persevere. I don't give up, because he never did. Never before had the Big G been such a hero to me. Such that in 2014 I found myself silently sobbing to myself when it seemed like he was dead near the end even though that was clearly not the case. It's hardly a surprise that I based my personal Godzilla AU on him, albeit with the more sympathetic traits dialed up. Stuff like this made G14 and KOTM some of my favorite kaiju flicks...

...which made it more than a little disappointing when Wingard took the helm and basically said "screw that, this is about the monke now!" Yeah, GvK is the weakest entry in the series for me for a reason. Godzilla's more redeeming qualities are buried under a narrative that clearly is not interested in giving him the time of day or even the benefit of a doubt. Both it and it's successor, GxK, are Kong movies through and through, and that means poor Big G is put out of focus.

I cannot tell you how much I HATE this idea that the only way a monster can be relatable is if it either looks almost just like us or is really cute. Yes, I understand the universal appeal, but they had such a good thing going for Godzilla! And they throw almost all of it away just so that they can make Kong look better by comparison.

Credit where it's due, these issues are slightly improved in GxK. It's not only firmly established that Godzilla is an overall benefit to the world for keeping the other Titans in check, but we get some interesting bits with him like how he instantly responds and prepares to answer the call of the Iwi and help them. It shows that despite his tenuous relationship with humans, there are ones he clearly gives a lot of thought to. And there's also how he makes the Roman Coliseum his own personal bed. Not only is it kind of hilariously adorable, but if you remember how in KOTM he had his own man-made temple, you get the impression that he has a bit of homesickness. That's the kind of thing I like to see! More of that and less "he's only ever angry and he only ever fights, character is for primates only".

Also, while the Evolved design has nice details, I WANT THAT GUT BACK! it just looks weird otherwise with that disproportionately skinny waist.

But thankfully, our prayers might be answered:

With GxK's roaring success (ha!), it's more than likely that the next Monsterverse entry will finally give Godzilla an overdue character arc that doesn't begin and end with "destroy everyone and act big and scary and nothing else". Just please make sure that he doesn't have to die to get that. There are plenty of ways you can make us invest in the guy's story without having to kill him. I WANT to see more of that emotional vulnerability teased across the movies. I want to see him come to terms with how he's been going about his job. And more importantly...I want to see a more explicit Mothzilla scene. A nuzzle and everything. But that's just me.

Whatever the quality of his current status, nothing is taking away how much I love this version of Godzilla. He's taken me out of some very dark places, and for that, I say long live the king.

Also, he brought Mothzilla into the public sphere and every Mothzilla pic made since is the cutest thing ever, so I just love him even more.

[savagewildnerness]

I’ve been seeing “What if Nicki survived” takes, so, as I see it (trying my hardest to be succinct…!)

Nicolas & Nicolas & Lestat’s relationship is beautiful because he (& thus - it) is doomed.

Nicolas was never long for this world. Like your Shakespearean or Greek tragedies, you can ruminate on Armand’s role; Lestat’s role; Nicolas’ parents’ role*… but while Nicolas may have struggled through an extra tortured decade or so, even if Lestat had never been made a vampire & even if he & Nicki hadn’t ever broken up, I am almost certain that in time, likely as Lestat’s star inevitably would have risen, Nicolas would have sunk deeper into a disillusioned, resentful depression that would be all the worse as he wouldn’t want to sink into it & he’d want only to love Lestat & be happy for him & yet Lestat’s world would be opening up & he’d have shone ever-brighter as he would have had to watch Nicolas, his love most likely slowly & awfully self destruct, sinking deeper & deeper, inescapably into darkness. (And this post is about Nicolas, but I’m not sure a mortal Lestat would have survived experiencing a slow self destruction by Nicolas in this way either…)

Whatever the scenario, all paths led to Nicolas’ death. (I described just one scenario here - but that’s likely the best-case scenario for Nicolas?!)

What’s more - that’s the beauty! That’s the beauty of gothic literature. You don’t need happily ever after to feel the peace & resonance & satisfaction from it. In fact happily ever after is (certainly to me anyway! And was so as a child too, instinctively) depressing as it’s (fictionally) unrealistic. The satiation comes from the satisfying resolution when what you knew deep down was always the ending comes to pass. As it always had to. As it must. Sorrow is Nicolas’ end. Death, in the end is all of our ends & in fiction, some characters can be an articulation of that inevitability & Nicolas is that for sure.

Just as Claudia’s end always had to be as it is & was a way for Anne Rice to give at least some kind of closure to an unfathomable, senseless, never-resolved pain in her real life - that of her daughter’s death; so Nicolas’ death is cathartic.

Here is a beauty of art. In reality, death is always painful & senseless, often random, always meaningless & there is no understanding it or ever getting over it. It has no purpose. It is always cruel. It is incomprehensible to our mortal minds. Just as true immortality is incomprehensible, so is mortality - that those we love will die. And the planet will die. And every memory of every human who ever existed will be lost. And the one specific person you love most of all too, can just die. It is senseless. People kill. People die. Death.

But in art, we have a realm to shape our inexplicable & painful experiences into something that’s not only manageable, but pleasurable. We can shape meaninglessness into meaning. And as I see it it means WAY more & I feel way more deeply &, ultimately (as it’s truer) it makes me feel way happier when the deepest tragedy can be sharped into meaning by stories. It is resonant and cathartic - A Savage Garden created by art, you could say…? Or at least a true articulation of The Savage Garden.

I don’t fully have the words to articulate what I’m trying to say. But Nicolas is one of my favourite VC characters & he’s certainly the character I relate to most.

And I love that he’s dead. That’s the point. He would always have died. That’s his beauty & his tragedy & what Lestat felt in Nicolas’ music, yet never fully understood about Nicki in his idealistic youth.

* We might blame God’s role, though. Religion.

[rupturedtaleblog]

i wanna tell you i really admire the way you write jack and his frustration. and also the tense atmosphere! woah! this au is fantastic.

i hope you don't mind but this is a ramble on jack. i apologize for the long post, and i feel as if i potentially am missing the point of his character development, but the voices in his head and jack very much resonate with me, in terms of emotions and anger, and "justification". while his actions aren't the "correct" way to go, i feel as if his frustration is...not unjustified. i feel very bad for jack, because his anger IS justified, to an extent. but all the voices do is be like "noo that's bad you should be friends with them :)" but is. there a point in bein friends with EVERYONE? and sans trying to capitalize on whatever insecurity jack may have...it really almost feels like nobody is taking jack 100% seriously in terms of his emotions. not the best wording but english is not my first language. i feel like at the rate, napstablook is the only person i'd really consider jack to consider a friend in the underground but that's. eh. but like. i don't think anyone has ever acknowledged that he has a right to his anger, and that it IS justified. i know he's ultimately better off if he plays nice, but...not even, "I'm sorry that everyone killing you". it really feels like everyone is either trying to use jack for their own ends, or just...can't acknowledge him in a certain way that isn't "YOU NEED TO BE FRIENDS. WITH EVVVVERRRRYYYONNNEEE"

No need to apologize for the rambling. I love hearing people vomit out what they think about what I create.

Feeling like nobody takes him seriously is a valid read on him. That's something he's always hated growing up. In general, a lot of his negative emotions and his behaivor were inspired by real life experiences that I've had. Jack, for lack of any better phrasing, doesn't know what to do with the mad that he feels.

As for most people down here trying to use him for their own ends... That's an interesting way to look at it. Sans' suggestion is more of advice for him to avoid getting into any more trouble than he already is. Most that I can say about the "point" of all of this is him actually hearing people out and willing to help them out, you know, make connections, be helpful...

Wouldn't be any fun if you were playing, say, an open world rpg, and you made no friends with anyone. Would be kind of boring at the end of it.

[anxiouspotionofgloom]

I keep thinking about your fae fic. Specificallt at the end where youre like, Scar would have his own sort of Flavor if shown from anything other than his own POV, and 1- I absolutely love how true this is, how when reading ur kinda like oh this makes sense as hes being a little bit batshit, but mostly:

2- flirting with the pretty fae by orchestrating 12 soldiers to try to assassinate him is so???? SO fucking good man I just love that so much. Like from his POV its like out there but you kinda resonate w him, but from grians POV thats so insane (and hot *coughs*) AHHH I love it so much:))

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!🥺🥺🥺

I'm glad you liked the fae fic, it was my first fic in the fandom I was sooo nervous about it, and so deeply touched by the support i received (/▽＼)

I do love making characters that embody the 'I'm such a normal person <- has Something™ wrong with them' vibe, it's such a funky way to write a story!!

I feel like scarian flirting has to have at least a little murder element to it. Be it towards each other or other people. I don't think I can write a scarian fic I like if they do not have hearts with claw marks on them. To me, their love has a violence to it, even in the most ordinary AU you can write. (tbh, to me, love is inherently violent, be it from the suffocating softness choking up your throat or the hungry pain of passion burning you all the way through, but that's for another time xD)

Ahahah Grian's pov of this fic would be hilarious not gonna lie... Cheers to him tho, he really did just went into it with the intention to create chaos and mischief and ended up with a boyfriend, good for him!

I actually had some scenes planned where Scar would not only orchestrate an assassination attempt, but also try and do some himself ( one of the ending scenes, where Scar dips Grian when dancing, was actually supposed to be way more ambiguous as to whether or not Scar would drop Grian into the air ) but I cut it down because I did not want to make like. A true knife romance this early into my fandom adventure LOL.

Anyways sorry for rambling and answering this late, I'm still insane about scarian almost a year after getting into them, thank you so much for this ask it made me really happy!!

[primamchorus]

Hi there! ☺️ As someone who has also put their FFXV characters into FFXIV, I couldn’t help being curious about whether you use it more to play out their XV storyline (via gpose and such), or do they have their own XIV versions/storyline? I’d love to hear any lore! 👀

aaaaa, hihi, saeta, thank you for the ask! 👀👀👀

one of the biggest reasons i have my ffxv characters in ffxiv at this point is because i genuinely wish there were people that loved ffxv enough to see if they could get the same kind of posing tools in the game? but i really don't think that's going to happen. so, i mean...the one place i can definitely pose them is ffxiv with things like brio, anamesis, and ktisis while also getting them to look close to how i imagine them with mods and glamourer.

being completely truthful: primam was brought into ffxiv purely to serve as an avatar for me in the beginning because i just really loved her when i made her, and was very attached to her (i mean, clearly i still am). she was not meant to be a warrior of light, she was not meant to even be isekai'd into ffxiv. i come from years and years and years of playing wow, so i didn't have expectations of me being hooked by ffxiv's story.

a lot of the gposes you'll see from me are kind of for fun things, and stuff to defiintely explore certain aspects! like a lunafreya plot point i've been working on in my reimagined series since i don't jive at all with how she's treated in ffxv, kingsglaive, and...if i'm being honest, i don't even really like the way she was entirely treated in dawn of the future, either.

(read more because i am rambling)

there are times where i like imagining prim in the setting of ffxiv, but it's all ever loose stuff if i'm thinking about it in the sense of being a warrior of light. my old fc at the time got me into making her into an rp character, and her arrival (along with a handful of others) on hydaelyn was a result of the resonance of allagan and solheim technology communing and syncing with one another to create a rift that pulled them through, scattering them around the star.

primam ended up in namai, almost having drowned in the process since she was submerged in water when she arrived. her twin brother ended up stabbing himself with one of his own weapons that he had out, necessitating aid from someone in the village of hyrstmill in the black shroud.

others who arrived who i don't talk about much are:

risu gaudium, who ended up in a garlean castrum and was questioned about his identity. with a name like risu gaudium, pretending to be from garlemald was a bit of thing he ended up doing to blend in and try not to actually get himself in too much trouble.

spe melos, who ended up nearly freezing as she tumbled across the chilled, nighttime sands of southern thanalan and taken in by the members of the u tribe who found her. she was then later taken in by a free company that called themselves the 'golden rose'. while they helped her she later got a job at the gold saucer as an entertainer, capitalizing on her talents of singing and playing piano.

victor sidus and alte vanas, who were the most unscathed from their arrival. they ended up close to mor dhona and secured themselves mercenary work to stay at the seventh heaven while defending the hub town from any threats. a task made easier thanks to their warping abilities.

... unfortunately, i felt too stressed to continue being in that fc, and the fc has since kind of gone downhill due to drama i actually have no place getting into because it happened after i stepped down from maintaining rp events. but since then, these stories have actually more or less been discontinued and even retconned in the case of primam for sure. all the other characters were not as tied into the fc at the time as primam was. thankfully, though, the retconning wasn't cumbersome, and i do have it in the wings in case i feel like rp'ing with primam again in the future utilizing the setting of ffxiv.

but yeah! for the most part, i do really, really love being able to explore more of these concepts and ideas of things i wish i could do in ffxv and being able to recreate those things in ffxiv because of all the aforementioned modding tools that allow me to do just that. like, i could draw it, and i'd like to. posing them for now has to suffice while i grapple with my artistic output, though. i hope i can draw more ffxv things in the future certainly.

but even if i haven't drawn them quite yet, playing with them and putting together scenes like this does give me ideas for how i'd like to draw things later!

outside of those, though? i've kinda soft headcanon'd jeryk / shenza as shards of prompto because he gives me such huge prompto energy. as such, i definitely had to make proper prim shards named rowynn and nokomis:

[wavytam]

Sanji’s Celestial Connections: His Race, and the Mysteries of One Piece

This post evolved from a simple attempt to connect Sanji with the imagery of the Sky to, perhaps, my current guess/theory on the nature of his powers and his role in the story of One Piece.

Throughout the manga Sanji has been given intriguing abilities and qualities, making him not only a proficient fighter but, more importantly, an empathetic and talented cook. As the story of One Piece progressed, Oda also revealed the amount of thought he put not just into Sanji's personality but also into his backstory. However, the origins of some of these abilities still remain somewhat vague—even after an entire arc dedicated to his past. Maybe this mystery might be intentional, tied to the significant role Sanji is destined to play by the end of the story.

This mystery is what I will try to analyse here and in future posts before the manga ends and they are (hopefully) unraveled — again, if all of this was intentional on Oda's part.

The topics I will cover:

Elbaf: The Underworld, the Sun, and the Heavens

Heaven and the Religion of One Piece

Sky/Sun/Sea/Hell

Sky (空) vs. Heaven (天): Science vs. Religion

Sanji’s Connection to the Heavens

The Mysterious Circular Energy and The Power of Fire

Sanji’s Race and the True Power of the Vinsmokes

Sanji, Devil Fruits and the Lineage Factor

The Will of Love

The Devil and Angels

Sanji’s Transformations

The Blue Demon of the Sea Science

Heavenly Warrior of Love

The All Blue

Disclaimers:

a) This post is purely made for fun, so don’t take it too seriously! I’m focusing on a character who isn’t the main protagonist of One Piece, so I might give him more attention than Oda himself (probably) plans to;

b) Secondly, I'm aware that this is a big tinfoil theory. It's up to you if you want to read it, and I’d be grateful if you did, even if it's a bit of a crazy reach. And even if you don't believe in any of what I proposed I hope it at least helped you with finding your own conclusions about Sanji;

c) Many points, especially regarding Sanji potentially being from a [spoiler]-related race have already been mentioned by other One Piece fans. I’ll address all the evidence (even the repeatedly discussed ones) to make this post as complete as possible — I’ll also leave links at the end to these and other interesting fan theories regarding the topics mentioned! While each theory may reach different conclusions (including my own), they all offer rich, insightful perspectives on Sanji and the world of One Piece. See which one resonates with you the most and if you come to a different conclusion!

Feel free to share your views and theories in the comments.

Now, let's get to it (I warn you, this post is long).

Almost a year ago, I wrote another post discussing the possible connections between Nami and Sanji with the imagery of the Sky, similar to how Luffy is often associated with the Sun and Zoro with Hell. That post has been on hiatus: I hadn’t finished reading the entire manga and I needed to go through the entire story to spot any missed clues or details that might discredit my theory.

However, I felt that what I’ve observed in the anime, as well as through Oda’s interviews and other fan analysis, was enough to create a new post specifically about Sanji and his significance to One Piece.

The decision to write this post came after reading chapter 1132, where we saw how Elbaf is divided. These divisions comprise a group of symbols that appeared earlier in the story, which I believe Oda may use for a future revelation.

But first, let's talk about these divisions.

Elbaf: The Underworld, the Sun and the Heavens

Acording to Brogy:

I think it’s worth noting that, depending on the translated sources, different words are used for these levels:

Heaven/Astral (天界, Tenkai)

Sun/Sunlit (陽界, Yōkai)

Dead/Underworld (冥界, Meikai)

From what I’ve seen, the official (VIZ) translation seems to use: Astral/Sun/Underworld—Levels.

However, for this post, I will use the Heaven/Sun/Underworld classification, and you’ll understand why as you read on.

Since I won’t go into much detail about the Sun and Dead levels (otherwise, this post would be twice as long), let’s focus only on the upper level—which also seems to be the most mysterious of the three: the Realm of Heaven.

By no means am I a proficient Japanese translator, so to help me, here are the translations I found on Google for the kanji used for the Realm of Heaven in the manga:

天界 = tenkai = means "heavenly realm" in the context of Buddhism.  The kanji 天 means "heaven/sky" and 界 means "world." So, the world (界) in the sky or heaven (天) is the "heavenly realm."

Because 'heaven' is a word more associated with religion (and you will understand why I’m bringing up religion), I will use this term for most of the post. However, the word 'astral' will appear in future topics as well as the term ‘sky’.

On Twitter and Youtube, people are already discussing what these realms might represent, and of course, many have realized that Underworld and Sun are symbols used for both Zoro and Luffy in the Wano Arc.

Zoro as the King of Hell (also known as the Underworld) and Luffy as the Sun God Nika.

I don’t believe this necessarily means they’ll be directly connected to these specific places during the arc but I do suggest that Oda:

a) Still needs to address the religious aspect of the One Piece world.

b) Has been using the imagery of Sky, Sun, Sea, and Hell so frequently that there could be a meaningful reason behind it.

Heaven and the Religion of One Piece

Firstly, regarding topic A: Oda often draws from religious and mythological symbols to create characters, islands, and story arcs—examples include Sengoku, Neptune, Noah’s Ark in Fishman Island, and the Ark Maxim in Skypiea. This interest seems rooted not only in his curiosity as a creator but also in influences from other storytellers like Hayao Miyazaki, who incorporates global myths and religions into his works.

So I don't think it’s not far-fetched to assume Oda might use religious themes to shape the origins and powers of key characters, particularly those of the Monster Trio.

But before diving into Sanji’s connection to this theme (it’s all connected, I promise), we must first discuss religion’s role in One Piece.

To conclude the story, Oda must address the spiritual framework of the One Piece world, an element largely unexplored despite the series' rich political, military, social, and historical layers. Religion remains a mysterious yet essential piece of the puzzle, and Elbaf’s deeply religious culture makes it the perfect setting to uncover the origins of Nika and other deities.

I believe the Heaven Realm in Elbaf will serve as a pivotal turning point for the final arcs, both during the crew's time in Elbaf and their subsequent journey to Laugh Tale.

Why the Heavenly Realm? In many cultures, Heaven is where gods and souls reside. I suspect the Straw Hats will venture into this realm and uncover the truth about Nika and, perhaps more importantly, the origin of Devil Fruits.

While science partially explains Devil Fruits at Egghead, their name alone suggests a parallel with the Forbidden Fruit or the Tree of Life from Christian mythology. Why not extend this symbolism to their origin within One Piece’s spiritual framework?

Lastly, I suspect the One Piece treasure is inherently tied to these religious aspects. To reach Laugh Tale and fully understand its significance, I believe the crew must grasp the connection between Nika’s identity, Devil Fruits and religion which will also reveal the greater truths of the Void Century.

Sky/Sun/Sea/Hell

Now, regarding topic B, where have we seen the Sky/Sun/Sea/Hell group before Elbaf to make me think they are somewhat important?

I’ve mentioned this in previous posts (which I will link below), but I’ll briefly cover it here for context.

We saw Sky/Sun/Sea/Hell present in:

Big Mom’s weapons:

The Sun: Prometheus

The Sword/hat: Napoleon (This is a bit of a stretch, but Zoro has the sword Enma, the King of Hell in Japanese mythology—so swords could symbolize Hell, indirectly?)

The Clouds: Zeus/Hera (gods of the Sky)

The strongest fighters of the Pirate King (Jimbei, Sanji, Zoro):

Jimbei, the Knight of the Sea

Sanji, son of Sora (Sky)

Zoro, son of Tera (Earth) (Hell is considered to be located under the earth in many cultures, including Greek and Japanese)

For this one, I’ll take a huge guess and say that Luffy’s mother could have a name related to the Sun, or deities that represent it. Maybe Sun in another language like Sonne (German), Sól/Sunna (Nordic goddess of the Sun), Amaterasu (perhaps a variation of it), or even Inti, the Incan Sun god.

The Ancient Weapons:

Uranus (God of the Sky)

Poseidon (God of the Sea)

Pluton (Pluto/Hades, God of the Underworld/Hell)

Obviously, these groups don’t always contain the same elements (sometimes it’s Sky/Sun/Hell, other times it’s Sky/Sea/Hell), but I think they appear too frequently to be a coincidence. So, considering this, we can speculate that the presence of these four symbols could mean something Oda has been planning to address for a long time.

As they were once again used to describe the Levels of Elbaf, people are discussing whether Heaven represents Nami or Sanji, as Underworld could represent Zoro, and Sun could represent Luffy.

I’ll put on my tin foil hat and say it represents both. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, I wrote a long theory about this topic, BUT there's nothing stopping Oda from using only one of them to represent it.

For this post, I’ll say it’s Sanji. Why? Simple: It’s a shonen manga, and I believe that whatever the Sky/Sun/Hell symbols represent, they’ll likely make the Pirate King and both of his Wings even more powerful fighters for the upcoming war.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Nami will be just as important (please, I really want that!!), but probably in a different way than Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro. Her power-up might come from a different source, and she might use it differently than Sanji/Zoro/Luffy would use theirs.

Anyway, if my hypothesis is correct, Sanji might once again have a big connection with the Heavens (using Elbaf and other elements I will mention later) and the Sky (using his mother’s name as a basis).

But before that, let’s clarify the difference between the words Sky, Heaven, and Astral.

Sky (空) vs. Heaven (天): Science vs. Religion

Based on the Oxford Dictionary and other sources:

Sky refers to the physical expanse above Earth, including the atmosphere, outer space, clouds, and stars. Derived from the Old Norse word ský, meaning "cloud," it has a more scientific connotation. The Japanese kanji for "sky" is 空 (sora).

Heaven, on the other hand, carries a celestial or religious meaning, often signifying a divine or spiritual realm considered the dwelling place of deities. However, it can also refer to the physical "heavens," meaning the sky or celestial sphere. The kanji for "heaven" is 天 (ten).

Paradise is represented by the term 天国 (tengoku), which refers to the afterlife where souls reside in peace. This kanji is used in One Piece when Zoro promises his name will reach the Heavens (tengoku). However, I will not focus on this term here, as it relates more to Zoro, the underworld, and his connection to Kuina.

Before we end this topic, we also have to talk about the ‘astral’ term, which is another word used to refer to the kanji 天.

Astral relates to the stars, celestial bodies, or the cosmos. It often has a scientific or mystical connotation, focusing on the physical or metaphysical aspects of the universe. While 天 can describe the celestial sky or cosmos, the usage of "astral" typically emphasizes the stars and planets, which might lean more toward 星 (hoshi — single star) or 宇宙 (uchuu — cosmos).

Interestingly, I believe Oda uses the words 空 (sora) and 天 (ten) closely enough in One Piece that they might represent the same concept: the astral plane. Why? In his world, as in ours, science and religion coexist in a chaotic yet complementary way, often blurring the line between them.

In fact, in the real world today there are several concepts or groups that blend religion and science, often seeking to reconcile or find common ground between the two.

For instance, in evolutionary creationism (which has Christian roots), the Sun—a star made of hydrogen and helium—is viewed as both a natural object, created and guided by God to sustain life through scientific processes, and a symbol of divine providence and order in the universe.

In One Piece, the Sun is (most probably) also a star made of hydrogen and helium, and it is also used to represent the Sun God Nika.

Similarly, the sky has long been religiously associated with the dwelling place of gods and, scientifically, UFOs or aliens. When we look up—especially at the night sky—we see not only clouds but celestial bodies such as the Moon, stars, comets, and distant planets. These elements have often been linked to divinities and otherworldly beings in many cultures.

This association likely explains why the sky gained religious (or heavenly) symbolism for many cultures, as it represents a place above us, seemingly out of reach, where deities might dwell—whether Olympus, Asgard, or Takama-ga-hara, depending on the religion in question.

To make this mixture even more complex, regarding the gods from Mesopotamian cultures (the Annunaki), there are ancient texts that describe them as coming from the skies. Today, many conspiracy theorists suggest these “gods” were actually aliens or an advanced civilization that came from another planet and taught humanity astrology and science.

If I’m not wrong, the movie Prometheus (the prequel to Alien) actually explores this exact narrative.

Whether this theory is true in our world or not, this topic does not come into discussion here lol. I'm only addressing this because I think Oda, who seems to be quite interested in researching history and religion, might be using these theories in his story.

I mean, isn’t this theory kind of what is happening to be true in the world of One Piece? Remember what Enel found out in his visit to the Moon? (Keep this part in mind; it will be important later on, and I’m sure you already know why!)

And will you look at that! As I was searching for links to post about the Anunnaki here I found a reddit page that talked exactly about them in connection with One Piece!! I still haven’t read it, but here is the link if you are interested. There is also the reference to Laputa, Hayao Miyazaki's movie that Oda used as a reference as well which brings up very similar themes.

So in One Piece, I think Oda blends science and religion much like how they coexist in our world, enriching his story. He weaves gods, devils, and divinity into his narrative while also providing scientific explanations, as seen in Punk Hazard and Egghead.

In conclusion, for this post, I will treat "sky", "astral' and "heaven" as complementary concepts, merging into a single idea which is a spiritual world. (Only for this post!)

Sanji’s Connection to the Heavens

Now, what does this have to do with Sanji?

Well, throughout the manga, many people have noticed that Sanji—through his family, moves, or even gags—seems to have a peculiar connection to elements associated with the sky or heavens, whether in religious, astronomical, or celestial contexts, especially regarding Christian themes.

Let’s list some of these elements:

Stars (Stargazing): Sanji displays a notable interest in stargazing, as shown in a few cover pages. In one example, he is inviting Nami to gaze at the stars with him, as seen in the cover page of chapter 1089.

Shooting Stars: In the anime, Sanji’s newest power-up (Ifrit Jambe) resembles a shooting star or a comet streaking across the sky.

Lucky/Miracle Star: Usopp once joked that Sanji was born under a miracle star—and as we all know, Usopp’s jokes or lies often have a way of becoming true. In Japanese folklore and astrology, celestial events (like the appearance of a bright star or comet) were often seen as omens of significant births or changes.

UFOs: Oda once drew a UFO-like object with Sanji’s face on it. Also, in the cover page of chapter 533, Sanji appears to be stargazing with a Mink, seemingly looking for UFOs. Interestingly, there’s a UFO in the background as well.

Space: Sanji lived for a long time on a ship called the Orbit. The term "orbit" is used to describe the motion of a celestial body around another. (Keep that information for later)

Sky Walk: Although this ability was originally called Moon Step (as used by Jabra), Sanji renamed it Sky Walk. When explaining how he acquired this skill, he said he ran until he “flew to the sky”—using the kanji for sora (空) in Japanese.

Son of Sora ("Sky"): This one speaks for itself.

Angel/Lunarian: In Wano, Sanji has been linked to the Lunarian race, who resemble classical depictions of angels in Christian art (not the biblically accurate ones, but more like those seen in traditional paintings). While I don’t think that Sanji is a Lunarian, he might belong to a equally rare race—possibly one connected to the heavens. I’ll explore this idea further later.

Fire/Hell: Sanji’s ability to ignite himself with flames when angry ties him to the element of fire. Anger, in many contexts, represents a response to injustice and revolt. In the Bible, fire symbolizes God’s wrath, passion, purification, and judgment. Sanji even created a move called Hell’s Memories, invoking imagery of eternal judgment and punishment associated with hellfire. There's another meaning for fire that I will talk about in later topics. Also, refer back to the Stargazing section and the titles Oda chose for the cover pages of chapters 533 and 575, which feature Sanji stargazing— Voiceless Rage and Inferno Hell. Hmmmmm.

Son of Judge and Sora / Divine Judgment: Sanji has increasingly embraced the role of enforcing "laws," acting as a kind of jury, judge, and executioner ever since the awakening of his Germa genes in Wano. This could parallel his father’s name, Judge, and his ancestry, while also aligning with the concept of divine judgment—a judgment coming from the skies(Sora). Interestingly, in the recent Elbaf arc, Nami used “Lightning Blast,” a thunderstorm coming from the skies, as Divine Retribution to punish the Giant Road. A curious observation for my other theory.

So, when I say that Sanji has a stronger connection to the heavens, religion and astronomy than previously thought, I believe these elements make the case clear.

As if that weren’t enough, Oda has made another important connection: he compared Sanji’s eyebrows to energy associated with the movement of celestial bodies such as planets, the Sun, and the Moon (Orbit). This will be our next topic of discussion. 

The Mysterious Circular Energy and The Power of Fire

Taken from the SBS of Chapter 55 (Baratie Arc) D: Why does Sanji-san’s eyebrow curl up at the end? Is it for fashion? Make it clear!! O: Hey! You there, sit down! Now listen! Everyone lives in circles! The sun, the moon, and the Earth all spin in circles! And if the Earth suddenly stopped spinning, the planet would be covered in tidal waves! It would be terrible! Now remember that Sanji’s eyebrow channels that same powerful circular energy! Reflect upon this! You may go!

I believe this SBS may be one of the most important pieces of evidence that connect Sanji and the heavens (and it was answered just a few chapters after Sanji’s introduction!!). Oda explicitly said that Sanji’s eyebrows, and therefore Sanji himself, are connected to the movement of celestial bodies, and more importantly, the powerful energy they generate. (Remember, Sanji also lived on a ship called "The Orbit" before meeting Zeff.)

And since it was mentioned, let’s discuss energy in the world of One Piece.

Specifically, during the Egghead Arc, Oda revealed through Vegapunk that fire is considered a precious source of energy because it “can be converted into all types of energy”.

And wouldn’t you know it? Sanji’s powers manifest as fire—the same powerful and versatile form of energy Vegapunk is trying to unlimitedly have (the Undying Flame)

Meanwhile, Oda also linked the origin of Sanji's fire with his heart in another SBS.

Taken from the SBS of Chapter 426 (Enies Lobby Arc) D: Odacchi, nice to meet you!! I finally sent you a postcard. It’s a serious question, so give me a real answer. That trick that Sanji used to beat Jabra!! If it was that hot to Jabra, wouldn’t it burn Sanji, too?! Wouldn’t Sanji be like, "yeow"?? Tell me! O: What are you talking about… WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!! Are those eyes, or holes in your head?! What were you watching in that fight?! His leg is hot?! No, it’s not hot!! SANJI’S HEART WAS BURNING SO MUCH HOTTER!!!

Now, let’s also remember that Oda originally intended to name Sanji "Naruto." The name Naruto, in addition to being associated with the Ninja manga, refers to the Naruto Whirlpools in Japan.

Whirlpools are often symbols of natural force and spiritual energy, and this could be the same "circular energy" Oda refers to in the SBS about Sanji’s eyebrows.

Curiously, we can parallel the meaning of his name to Nami’s name, as hers means “wave”. Once again, both she and Sanji have a weird relation with similar symbols, whose intention I cannot quite grasp yet. If any of this information brought up an idea for you, let me know.

Back to whirlpools, a long time ago, I watched one of the best theories/analysis about Sanji from a YouTuber called "Parvision." In it, if I remember correctly, he discussed the importance of the whirlpool imagery for Sanji and linked his powers to Haki as well. Here is the video.

To be honest, I watched his videos a while ago, so I don’t recall everything he said (it’s a 1-hour video full of rich infos, lol), but he is amazing, and his theories are really insightful! He also covers many of the topics we’re discussing here about Sanji’s mysterious powers. I’m not sure what his conclusion about Sanji’s origins is, but give it a look, and I’m sure you won’t regret it!

Aside from the circular energy and flames association, Oda has also linked Sanji to Devil Fruits in another SBS (where Sanji wasn’t even mentioned in the question but Oda insisted on bringing him up, lol).

Taken from the SBS of Chapter 436 (Enies Lobby Arc) D: Do all Devil Fruit have that swirly pattern on them? O: That’s right. It’s what distinguishes them from other fruits. Sometimes I wonder if Sanji himself is a Devil Fruit.

So, in three different SBSs, Oda hinted at three fascinating ideas:

Sanji’s eyebrows symbolize the energy generated by celestial bodies (Earth, Moon, and Sun);

This same circular energy resides in the Devil Fruits;

Sanji's heart (emotion) is probably what ignites his fire.

But if he already has a connection to the Sky/Heavens, fire, and circular energy, why did Oda also link him to Devil Fruits? Isn’t everything else enough already?

I mean, if we also consider everything we know about him, Sanji’s character already has a mix of seemingly unrelated traits:

A prince of an extinct kingdom

A genetically altered human

The cook of the Straw Hat crew

A hopeless romantic with the motif of the Knight

Can burst into flames when experiencing intense emotions

However, I believe that these traits, though scattered, may start to correlate if we speculate that Sanji's origins—and powers—are tied to a single, as-yet-unknown source, one that only Oda (and his team) are aware of. I will venture a guess on this in the next topic.

Sanji’s Race and the True Power of the Vinsmokes: Mutation

Building upon the points I've discussed, I propose the following theory:

A previously unidentified rare race existed, possessing the ability to manipulate circular energy because their origins are related to outer space. This advanced race visited the world of One Piece, sharing their knowledge and skills to empower its inhabitants and change their status quo so anyone could evolve and become who they dreamed to be. In its purest form, this energy manifests as fire, aligning with Vegapunk's assertion of fire's versatility as an energy source. However, it can be transformed into other forms, such as Devil Fruits, suggesting its true power lies in the ability to induce mutation. I hypothesize that Sanji, and potentially the entire Vinsmoke family, descends from this extraterrestrial or celestial race.

Although there is the possibility that Sanji has these abilities because of genetic modification, I don’t believe this is the case.

Let's revisit Judge and his duel with Sanji. During their confrontation, Judge witnessed Sanji utilizing Diable Jambe, yet he displayed no discernible surprise.

It's important to remember that at this point in the narrative, Judge believed Sanji to be a "failed experiment" due to Sora's interference. Therefore, Sanji's actions during the duel did not sufficiently alarm Judge to question the possibility of genetic alterations in Sanji, similar to those undergone by Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, and Reiju.

Furthermore, upon acquiring his suit, Germa Sanji's intended ability was invisibility, not fire, as speculated by fans.

So if Sanji's fire abilities were not a product of Judge's scientific modifications, they must originate from his genetic inheritance—either from Sora or Judge.

While I personally favor the possibility of Sora as the source, I believe the origin lies within Judge himself. However, it stems from the aspect of his family that he vehemently denies and despises: the empathetic and emotional side that generates flames.

Oda has stated that Sanji's affinity for fire is rooted in his burning heart. More specifically, I believe this energy is activated by his capacity for love and passion, qualities absent in his brothers thanks to Judge. This is something I will talk about more in future topics.

Sanji, Devil Fruits and the Lineage Factor

Despite these speculations, we all know that Sanji's core essence remains his love and his passion for cooking.

Yet, even in the Baratie Arc, when the world of One Piece was still being introduced, Oda emphasized the connection between Sanji, cooking, and fire.

We observed Pearl, a henchman from Don Krieg's crew, spontaneously combusting in a fit of panic. This mirrors Sanji's current tendency to ignite when experiencing intense emotions. Interestingly, the SBS entry discussing Sanji's curly eyebrows appears in the same chapter as Pearl's fiery ability is shown.

While Pearl's abilities are likely fabricated (perhaps utilizing the pearls in his armor as flint), it's intriguing that Oda introduced this concept in Sanji's debut arc, subtly implying a chef's inherent connection to fire.

Therefore, Sanji's connection to fire is a foundational element established by Oda from the very beginning, and I believe it will play a pivotal role in his ultimate narrative arc.

Notably, during his encounter with Ivankov, Sanji's training obviously focused less on traditional combat techniques—which he had mastered by himself—and more on acquiring the enigmatic 99 Recipes of Attack Cuisine.

To understand the significance of this emphasis, let's examine the sole recipe revealed in the manga: Hormone Soup with Sea Pork. Sanji prepared this dish at the conclusion of the Punk Hazard arc, demonstrating its remarkable ability to rejuvenate the consumer's energy and strength.

In some respects, Devil Fruits can be considered a unique type of food that alters an individual's state, similar to how these recipes function.

I'm not suggesting that the 99 Recipes and Devil Fruits are the same; they clearly do not. I am sugesting that both share a key similarity: both act as "magical foods" that alter the human body.

However, while the 99 Recipes are likely designed to enhance specific pre existent aspects of an individual's physique, Devil Fruits are depicted as agents of biological transformation, affecting humans, animals, and even inanimate objects.

This transformation occurs through the consumption of the fruit itself. Oda could have chosen alternative mediums for bestowing extraordinary powers, such as a spell book or a magical fountain (as seen in Pirates of the Caribbean). However, he deliberately selected food as the conduit, suggesting a deeper significance to food in his world and, by association, Sanji's role.

Nevertheless, I believe the biological transformation induced by Devil Fruits surpass any potential outcomes achievable through the 99 Recipes.

Once again, let’s go back to Vegapunk, who is credited with replicating Devil Fruits. Do you recall his observations regarding their significance?

That's right, Vegapunk asserted that Devil Fruits represent the potential for human evolution.

If you're familiar with the X-Men franchise lol, you're likely acquainted with the concept of mutation. While not exclusive to X-Men, this concept is grounded in scientific theory, particularly the work of Hugo de Vries and other pioneering geneticists. These scientists proposed that the driving force of evolution is mutation.

Mutations are defined as alterations in DNA.

From this perspective, Devil Fruits may function by inducing mutations within the user's DNA, enabling them to become embodiments of their innermost desires. Maybe this is how Vegapunk was finally able to produce the Artificial Devil Fruits.

However, while he is credited with its creation, it's crucial to remember his long standing collaboration with Judge. Yonji even acknowledged their joint discovery of the "Lineage Factor," which corresponds to what we understand as DNA.

Therefore, even though Vegapunk may receive credit for replicating Devil Fruits along with Caesar, I believe their essence—the profound connection to human evolution and DNA modification—is inextricably linked to his research conducted in collaboration with Judge.

My theory posits that Vegapunk's insights into these concepts were significantly influenced by the Vinsmokes' centuries-old ability in manipulating DNA. Judge, with access to extensive data on the Vinsmoke lineage, likely provided it to the MADs Scientists.

However, the foundation of these abilities might predate scientific understanding, rooted in the Vinsmokes' inherent capacity to induce mutation through passionate, instinctual means.

Notably, Judge appeared more preoccupied with genetic modification and engineering than with Devil Fruits. He neither created nor utilized any Devil Fruits during the Whole Cake Island arc whilst most former MADS scientists, such as Caesar and even Vegapunk himself, continued their investigations into Devil Fruit production. This suggests that Judge may have viewed Devil Fruits as redundant, having already devised methods to achieve similar effects within his own children without direct reliance on them.

To recap, I believe Vegapunk's understanding of mutation and Devil Fruits was significantly shaped by Judge's scientific investigation into the Vinsmoke lineage's latent mutating potential. While Judge's ancestors may have activated these traits through intense emotions like passion, Judge sought to achieve greater control and predictability through scientific manipulation, "effectively" bypassing the need for emotions or instinct.

The reason I believe it is all connected steems from Thriller Bark arc, when Sanji erupted in a fiery rage at the prospect of Nami being forced into marriage. Zoro remarked, "He is about to transform into something." The kanji used for "transform" (変身 – henshin) was also used as "mutate" in some translations.

So I believe that Sanji's outburst not only produced flames but also seemed to induce some type of "mutation" within his body. However, we probably still have not seen the final form of this transformation.

Interestingly, according to crepes-suzette-373, a Tumblr user who analyzes the manga in its original language, the Japanese verb used for this transformation is also associated with the concept of "henshin" in Kamen Rider, Sailor Moon and others.

So Sanji's rage, fueled by his love for Nami, ignited these fiery transformations.

This phenomenon might explain Judge's disdain for emotions like empathy and love. He likely perceived them as unreliable and uncontrollable catalysts for these mutations, potentially hindering his ultimate goals. By employing scientific methods, Judge sought to harness the Vinsmoke family's inherent mutative abilities while minimizing the influence of these perceived "weaknesses" – emotions like love.

However, I firmly believe that Judge did not entirely suppress his children's emotions. You can find my detailed reasoning [here], and suzette has also presented their analysis based on the original Japanese translation [here]. In summary, I believe Judge's primary objective was to eradicate empathy, love, and the passion for life – the very qualities that define humanity – rendering his children more easily controlled and subservient to his brutal commands.

Sanji's flashback reveals that his "normal" human birth, with its capacity for love, led him to pursue interests deemed frivolous and detrimental to his father's ambitions and royal status, such as cooking. Judge appeared visibly frustrated by Sanji's unwavering dedication to these pursuits, despite numerous reprimands. I believe Judge concluded early on that love was a significant obstacle to his plans and actively sought to eradicate it within his children. Sanji's resistance to this conditioning further intensified Judge's animosity towards his son.

The events of the Whole Cake Island arc illustrate the devastating consequences of Judge's actions and beliefs. Deprived of love and passion, his children were nearly defeated, lacking the intrinsic motivation to fight for their survival. Ultimately, it was Sanji, driven by the fiery love ignited within his heart, who returned to save them, demonstrating the profound strength of human connection and the limitations of Judge's cold, calculated approach.

Speaking of this love, let’s go to the next topic.

The Will of Love

To recap, Vegapunk was the one who gave us the information that Devil Fruits are connected to people’s desires and human evolution.

“Every Devil Fruit is a possibility for human evolution that someone desired. If only I could be like this… If only I could be like that. All of those powers represent the many branches of the future of humanity.”

I think that desire can be strongly associated with will. While desire is the emotional or internal longing for something, will represents the determination and action taken to pursue that goal.

Willpower is a crucial element in One Piece. I mean, the Will of D, right? Just like religious elements such as gods, devils, and forbidden fruits exist in One Piece, so does the concept of willpower.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, will is defined as:

The ability to control your thoughts and actions in order to achieve what you want; a feeling of strong determination to pursue something.

Willpower signifies the unwavering determination to pursue one's goals and dreams.

I believe Haki, particularly Conqueror's Haki, embodies this concept in the One Piece universe. In this world, an individual's will can attain such immense strength that it not only influences those around them but also defies the very laws of physics, altering the course of reality.

Is not mutation, at its core, a form of change, specifically a profound alteration at the DNA level?

I believe Sanji demonstrated this principle during his brief encounter with Kizaru in Egghead. Through sheer force of will, I think he defied the laws of physics by absorbing Kizaru's laser beam – a feat seemingly impossible, even within the extraordinary realm of One Piece.  Franky’s and Kizaru’s shocked expressions highlight just how incredible this moment really was (lol).

However, in typical Sanji fashion, he attributed this extraordinary ability to the power of love. And I believe he is correct.

Love, though often dismissed as cheesy, is a potent force capable of driving individuals to achieve the seemingly impossible for the sake of others. Just as freedom fuels Luffy's unwavering will, I believe love serves as the driving force behind Sanji's extraordinary feats, empowering him to transcend human limitations and become both powerful and unpredictable.

He kind of said that in Thriller Bark, remember?

“A power that can’t be judged by ordinary means… A power to make the impossible possible. It’ll blow everything away. The name of that hurricane is… love.”

This inherent drive was absent in his brothers during the Whole Cake Island arc. They lacked the will, and indeed, the passion, to truly live and fight for the lives of others, even for their own father, Judge.

In contrast, Sanji consistently demonstrated this will. His unwavering determination to become a chef persisted even after months of imprisonment at the hands of his own father. This unwavering spirit enabled him to endure seventy days of starvation and maintain his lifelong dream of finding the All Blue.

However, plagued by self-doubt, he temporarily suppressed this powerful will, feeling indebted to Zeff for saving a life Sanji deemed unworthy.

But Zeff, being the incredible father he is, made Sanji realize he shouldn’t hold himself back. Just like Luffy, Sanji possesses an unyielding will, which Zeff poetically describes as a spear of blind grit.

Through this dialogue with Zeff, I believe that Oda subtly conveys to the readers that Sanji's greatest obstacle lies within himself. Despite his unwavering kindness and encouragement towards others, Sanji struggles with self-compassion, which frequently holds himself back from reaching his full potential.

However, Sanji is gradually overcoming this internal struggle. I think that his inaugural use of Ifrit Jambe exemplifies his growing ability to channel this "spear of blind grit" in accordance with his own moral compass. In Wano, he faced a critical juncture: he could enhance his combat abilities through the Raid Suit, but at the cost of becoming a cold, emotionless killing machine. Instead, he chose a path that aligned with his values, destroying the suit while still leveraging its enhancements, particularly the increased resistance to heat.

This experience suggests that Sanji's previous limitations were also physiological. With his enhanced physical resilience, he now possesses the potential to unleash even more potent flames, limited only by the intensity of his love and passion.

The greater his love, the hotter his flames burn—remember, Oda said his heart burns hotter!!

This powerful connection between love and Sanji is further reflected in his culinary pursuits.

Just by knowing the reasons he chose to be a cook, we know that cooking, for Sanji, is an act of love, a way to express his affection for others and appreciation of life.

Food is not just used to sustain life, it’s also a way to enjoy it. Look at how Luffy and his love for meat, and the fact that most of One Piece's arcs end in a feast. I'm sure that Oda himself also sees the importance of it. Like I said, he could have chosen various outlets to become the source of Power in the world he created, but he chose food.

Furthermore, because of the importance of food and the reason why he is a cook, Sanji's profound impact extends beyond the battlefield. He possesses a remarkable ability to influence and transform those around him, even individuals perceived as cruel, cold, or adversarial. Whether through the compassionate act of cooking or by simply adhering to his unwavering moral code based on love, he inspires profound change in those he encounters.

He has positively impacted the lives of numerous individuals, including Pudding, Gin, Viola, the Marines in Punk Hazard, and even, to a certain degree, Big Mom herself.

So I believe that Willpower is the fundamental force behind the creation of Devil Fruits. Vegapunk himself stated that they are the physical manifestations of dreams, wishes, and desires – embodiments of will brought to life.

Wait, didn’t I previously say that the circular energy Oda mentioned in the SBS was what created the Devil Fruits?

That’s because I believe that Willpower and this circular energy are essentially the same phenomenon, simply described differently depending on the context. For example, the Skypieans refer to Haki as "Mantra" and the people from Wano call Armament Haki Ryuo.

For Sanji's (hypothetical) ancestral race, I think this power manifests in its purest, most versatile form: fire, which in turn can become many other things.

Interestingly, fire holds profound symbolic significance across various cultures besides just destruction.

In Christianity, it often represents God's presence, passionate will, and even the act of creation. The Holy Spirit is often symbolized as a flame as well.

Beyond religious contexts, fire-based powers in popular media frequently symbolize intense emotions, the life force (energy), and even the power of creation. Consider Avatar: The Last Airbender, when Zuko and Aang had to understand the significance of fire beyond its ability to destroy. Or look at X-Men and the Phoenix Force itself.

The Flame of Prometheus in Greek mythology offers another compelling example. It symbolizes the gift of knowledge, innovation, and enlightenment bestowed upon humanity by the Titan Prometheus, who defied the gods by stealing fire. This act represents the empowerment of humanity, enabling progress and civilization.

However, it also signifies the potential dangers of seeking forbidden knowledge, as Prometheus faced divine punishment for his actions. In a way, Devil Fruits can be seen as the "Prometheus flames" of the One Piece world, a powerful force of change that, while offering immense potential, also carries inherent risks, as if Nature itself (a parallel to the gods) deemed their existence a transgression and punishes the users of the Devil Fruits by making them unable to swim. I'm not kidding, this was Vegapunk's explanation to why Devil Fruit users can't swim.

Thus, fire transcends its association with anger and intensity. It also symbolizes transformation, energy, knowledge, and the very essence of life. This inherent versatility likely explains Vegapunk's fascination with harnessing fire as a sustainable energy source.

Let us not forget the Mother Flame, a concept of immense importance in the One Piece world and currently being exploited by the Gorosei and Imu for their own nefarious purposes.

While I don't believe Sanji is a god (lol), I do believe he possesses an extraordinary connection to a powerful, ancient force that is related to Nika somehow.

To recap, my theory suggests that Devil Fruits were created by a race capable of manipulating Willpower, a force that allows them to shape reality, defy the laws of physics, and even induce mutations. This advanced civilization, possibly originating from a realm beyond our own, maybe from outer space, exerted a profound influence on the world, impacting the lives of fish-men, buccaneers, tontattas, humans, and countless other races.

Furthermore, I believe this race sought to use their advanced technology to uplift and improve the world. This era of technological and societal advancement likely coincides with the enigmatic Void Century, a period shrouded in mystery. The youtuber Artur, from the Ohara Youtube chanel already made a theory about what the One Piece is, and to understand it, he theorized what might have happened during the Void Century and before. Give it a look if you’d like.

Anyway, an intriguing connection emerges when considering the Sun God Nika. You might recall that Luffy, in his Nika form, exhibits the same distinctive spiral pattern in his eyebrows as Sanji. This striking similarity might not be mere coincidence.

Furthermore, recent cover stories have revealed that Judge himself possesses eyebrows identical to Luffy's. This observation once again strongly suggests that the curly eyebrow trait is not a result of Judge's genetic enhancements, but rather a hereditary characteristic of the Vinsmoke lineage.

This line of reasoning is what leads me to speculate that the Vinsmokes might be descendants of this ancient, technologically advanced civilization, potentially even possessing a diluted fraction of their power.

Maybe the Vinsmokes and Nika are both from the same race (and Nika was simply the most powerful among them and revered as a god) or Nika himself created that race. But this is a theory to be explored in other posts.

So, where do I think this will lead Sanji? Before answering that, I want to address another important (religious) motif—one that has been present in Sanji’s arc since day one and which I’ve been saving for now:

The Devil and Angels

Early in their introduction, Sanji made a profound declaration to Nami, vowing to do anything for her, even if it meant becoming the Devil himself.

This declaration is further emphasized by his signature moves: Diable Jambe (Devil in French) and its more powerful iteration, Ifrit Jambe.

Moreover, his associated animal is a horned sheep, and the Mink accompanying him during his UFO-gazing expedition may be a goat – both animals carrying significant symbolism related to the Devil in Christian beliefs.

Finally, Sanji's iconic proclamation after defeating Jabra, "God created food. But the Devil created the spices," explicitly acknowledges his own association with the Devil.

So, I think Oda might also be referencing Sanji as some type of Fallen Angel—a creature who fell from the skies after defying devine authority.

While I personally find this interpretation somewhat unsettling (I'm not particularly fond of the idea of comparing Sanji to Lucifer lol), I believe Oda has been subtly hinting at this "Devilish" motif throughout Sanji's character arc. And I have a few reasons to back this up.

First, I believe Oda employs a subtle pattern throughout the series, drawing parallels between the Monster Trio and key figures or symbols from religions of Asia, Europe and America.  Obviously, it’s not a strict rule, but I’m confident that many of their most significant moves and titles follow this pattern.

Luffy, embodying the spirit of the Sun God Nika, draws significant inspiration from pre-Columbian American religions, particularly those of the Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs. Keep in mind that Luffy would canonically be Brazilian (even though Brazil wasn’t part of those specific cultures, it is still an American country). Also, the Sun God Nika in One Piece was referenced by the Shandians, a culture clearly inspired by these civilizations. Zoro, with his name inspired by an Indian pirate, his connection to the Ashura (Indian ), and his possession of the sword "Enma" (named after the Japanese King of the Underworld), reflects influences from East Asian religions and cultures. In contrast, Sanji's character appears to draw inspiration from European and Middle Eastern mythology, particularly Christian imagery, hinting at a possible connection to the Fallen Angel archetype.

Furthermore, I believe the term "Devil" in the One Piece world might not always refer to inherently evil beings. Instead, it might be used to describe those who defy established authority and challenge the status quo. Consider the fate of the Ohara archaeologists – individuals who dared to question the official narrative and were subsequently branded as "devils" and brutally suppressed by the World Government.

In reality, I believe the true "devils" are those who wield immense power while masquerading as saviors or gods, engaging in unspeakable acts of cruelty. It is worth noting that the Gorosei, the enigmatic rulers of the world, utilize teleportation techniques that involve symbols strikingly similar to pentagrams.

And with this, I believe that these self-entitled gods—those who place themselves above others—would inevitably awaken the fury of someone like Sanji.

He would willingly take on the role of an antagonist to these so-called gods.  Ironically, despite this rebellious stance, Sanji ultimately serves the true "God" – his captain, Luffy, the embodiment of the Sun God Nika and follows morals that in many ways follow the Christian faith. But this is something to talk about in other posts.

Therefore, while perceived as a "Devil" by those in power, Sanji's actions are ultimately driven by a profound sense of justice and loyalty, aligning him more closely with the archetype of an angel who ultimately serves a higher, noble purpose.

This interpretation gains further credence when examining a specific panel from the Skypiea arc. In this scene, Sanji declares that he will assume the role of the "Blue Demon of the Seas" if the man who considers himself a god (referencing Enel) dares to harm Nami.

It's crucial to note that many translations inaccurately render the term as "monster" instead of "demon." However, several fans, including crepes-suzette, have correctly identified the kanji used in the original Japanese text as the same one that signifies "demon," a term Sanji himself previously employed during his initial encounter with Nami.

Robin’s duality of angelic and demonic attributes is clearly exemplified in her character. Despite being labeled the "Devil Child" from a young age, likely due to her possession of a Devil Fruit, she embodies both qualities.

Even before the incident in Ohara, Robin carried this title, and while I don't rememebr her correcting anyone who called her as such it wasn’t until Wano that she fully embraced it. During her fight against Black Maria, she transformed into a fearsome, demonic entity to protect Sanji—a moment of self-realization where she gained full control over her powers.

However, Robin had previously displayed an angelic side of her abilities, such as when she created wings to help Franky in Thriller Bark.

I believe that Robin's metamorphosis during her fight against Black Maria was a moment of self-realization—a transformation she learned to control using her Devil Fruit powers.

In Wano, her demonic transformation wasn’t just a means of victory—it was a deliberate message to those who threaten her loved ones. By fully embracing the "Devil" title and its terrifying form, Robin demonstrated her resolve to protect those she cares about, mirroring Sanji’s own willingness to sacrifice everything for Nami.

Let us not forget that the very name Oda gave these fruits is "Devil's Fruits."

Perhaps they are called that because they were created by enemies of the government/Imu ("devils"), and the government simply chose a fearsome name to deter people from consuming them.

The kanji for "Devil" (魔) that Sanji uses for his moves (and when he promised he would become a devil for Nami) is the same used for the Devil Fruits (悪魔の実) and for Demon Child (悪魔の子). However, unlike Robin, Sanji's association with the devil motif has no direct connection to Devil Fruits, as he never consumed one. Therefore, I see no reason for him to use this motif other than Oda intentionally connecting him to the race that created (or, more accurately, "cooked") the Devil Fruits.

Lastly, in Egghead, we must remember the significant panel where Saturn appears to undergo a transformation, becoming even more monstrous than before. Through Sanji, we gain insight into Saturn's loss of humanity—an interesting narrative choice by Oda.

Now, it all leads to what might happen to Sanji and what he might mutate into.

Sanji’s Transformation

To understand better what Oda might be planning for Sanji, I’d like to reference other important transformations that many superheroes and characters from popular shows have gone through, especially those related to intense emotions or powers tied to flames:

Jean Grey Phoenix: holds back her power, which manifest as flames

Kamen Rider: has transformations related to his intense emotions

Asura’s Wrath: his anger, rooted in his love for his daughter, ignited his Berzerk transformation

Kevin Levin: motivated by the love to protect his friends he became a powerful, yet psychopathic monster

Since the themes mentioned above have been explored by many writers for their characters, Oda might also adopt similar concepts for Sanji’s development. Let’s talk about them in more detail below — if you are not interested, you may just skip this part lol WATCH OUT FOR SPOILERS OF THE MENTIONED STORIES.

In the Marvel Universe, the Phoenix Force is one of the oldest known cosmic entities, said to predate darkness and the universe. It is considered the spark that ignites creation and the flame that consumes it, perpetuating the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In many media portrayals, Jean Grey, the Phoenix’s most well-known host, must hold back this power because it's deemed too dangerous. In her case, Jean must train not to become stronger, but to restrain her immense powers and control them — it depends on which X-Men adaptation though.

Next, Kamen Rider, which seems to be a significant inspiration for much of Sanji’s lore. Kamen Rider Black, the main hero who was turned into a mutant by an evil organization resembling Germa (and indirectly, the Nazis), was killed and later revived as Kamen Rider Black RX. Through intense emotions, Kamen Rider RX transforms into two distinct forms based on his feelings. When he is enraged, he becomes the Prince of Flames, and when he is filled with sorrow for humanity, he transforms into the Prince of Sadness. In these states, he gains different abilities.

In Asura’s Wrath, the protagonist undergoes a fury-driven transformation after losing someone dear to him. His rage drives him to go berserk against the self-proclaimed “gods” responsible for the attack that killed his loved one. This kind of intense emotional reaction mirrors Sanji’s potential path, where his love could trigger a similar rage-based transformation when someone he cares about deeply is in danger. In the process he could become more cruel.

Finally, in Ben 10 Alien Force, Kevin Levin possesses powers related to energy absorption due to his alien ancestry. He faces an enemy of the same race, and when his friends, particularly the girl he likes, are in danger, Kevin uses his powers (in a dangerous way) to save them. However, this power comes with a cost: as he uses it incorrectly, he risks going insane. Kevin’s eventual turn into an antagonist demonstrates how overwhelming power can lead to a loss of control, paralleling Sanji’s potential struggle with his cruel side, especially when his genetic modifications take hold.

Given these examples, I can see Oda following a similar narrative path for Sanji. My guess is that Sanji will undergo two distinct transformations, with love being the catalyst for both.

The Blue Demon of the Sea Science

The first transformation will likely be a dark, evil persona, where Sanji allows his mutant genes to take over, making his flames burn hotter. This form could mirror the Dark Phoenix (the corrupted side of the Phoenix) or Kevin Levin's monstrous state.

This transformation might resemble Saturn’s metamorphosis, where Sanji becomes more powerful but loses the very emotions—his love and passion—that initially motivated him. In this state, Sanji might temporarily become an antagonist, possibly aligning with Germa’s science and his brothers' ruthless behavior. Eventually, Zoro may be forced to fight him, fulfilling their pact. In this form, Sanji may take on a more devilish appearance.

Heavenly Warrior of Love

For the second transformation, I believe Sanji will overcome his modified genes through his love—probably for Nami. This might lead to him mutating into a more celestial form, perhaps even resembling a Garuda (a mythical bird from Hindu and Buddhist iconography and the other name Judge has). Suzette has an insightful analysis of the Germa Kingdom's imagery as well as the holy fire and more—I recommend checking it out if you're interested!

In Thriller Bark, we already know something like this happened when Sanji's shadow was placed inside the corpse of a penguin/dog.

Because Moria, who performed the transfer, did not know Sanji's true strength, he used a weak body. This led to a surprise for most of Moria's henchmen, as Penguin Sanji demonstrated immense will.

However, what shocked them the most was Sanji overcoming his programming and refusing to hurt Nami when it was implied he had to. Sanji himself said it was due to the power of love, so I’m sure Oda will revisit a moment like this again, but on a much larger scale.

Though I prefer to stick to official material from the manga, there is an intriguing moment in the One Piece Pirate Warriors game where Sanji is overpowered by an external force that drives him to act evil. However, when he is forced to hurt Robin, he stops because his moral code—especially his vow never to kick a woman—proves stronger than any external influence. This shows just how deeply rooted his values are and how much they shape his actions, regardless of the power that might control him.

We saw how in Egghead, the motif of how love overcomes science was shown through a lot of characters, I.e. Seraphim Hancock when she decided to help the Straw Hats because of original Hancock's love to Luffy and Kuma overcoming his programing to save his daughter, Bonney.

So, I imagine Oda could use this idea (of Sanji fighting against any genetic programming/science) in the manga on a much larger scale.

Visually, for his transformations, I imagine Sanji's entire body could burst into bluish flames (not just his legs), taking on an inhuman silhouette during moments of extreme emotion. I think this fits with a few moments in the manga where he bursts into flames, and his hair even seems to turn into horns.

Also, can you imagine if this state—since it pushes his hair upward—revealed both of his eyes?

Maybe in his second transformation, he gains control over both his modified and inherited genes, visually symbolized by his eyebrows.

Let's remember, the eyebrows change direction when activating his genes (I still don’t fully understand how they work, but that’s an analysis for another time, lol). In his normal human state, they point left. But what if he finds equilibrium, and his eyebrows become symmetrical?

Notice how Judge's eyebrows, like Nika's, are actually symmetrical.

It’s just speculation, but it would be fun to see, hehe.

With Sanji’s incredible speed, if you saw him moving from afar, he’d resemble a shooting star streaking across the sky. A bit like the animation for Todoroki when he uses his fire powers for the first time

To conclude, there’s something else about Sanji that might connect him to the Heavens:

The All Blue

Yes, I’m going there.

My main theory remains that the All Blue is located in Fishman Island but still needs to “transform” into the All Blue after Luffy destroys the Red Line. However, let’s set that aside for now and focus on an interesting video I found by a Japanese fan who translates the One Piece manga, Dawn&Dusk.

He made a video that talked about the All Blue and discovered something so intriguing that I’m starting to consider another possibility.

In the video, the youtuber points out a draft from Oda where Zeff talks about the All Blue. However, what he says is quite different from what we read in the final version of the manga.

Zeff states:

"I’ve already lost my traveling companions. I don’t want to continue the journey with anyone but them. They were precious fools who accompanied me for a silly legend (...) That place transcends this world. In a year of sailing, I saw the possibility of All Blue in that place."

The translator explained that the kanji used for "transcend" carries the connotation of “greatly surpassing common sense, being exceptionally outstanding, and achieving something considered ‘impossible.’” It also suggests a state far removed from mundane affairs.

The translator speculated that the All Blue and Laugh Tale might exist in another dimension—a place beyond the world of One Piece. You can watch it and see what you think!

In my opinion, this could change a lot of things, especially regarding Oda’s plans for Sanji. Many have theorized that the All Blue symbolizes a new era of unity and freedom, and I think that’s Oda’s goal. But what if the All Blue is more than that? What if it already exists, but is in another world—a sort of Heaven, accessible only to gods or spirits, that will eventually be brought to Earth?

It’s somewhat similar to The Legend of Korra, season 2, whose universe has a spirit world, accessible through a portal, until the Avatar merges it with the physical world. Or even the world that Chihiro is transported to in Spirited Away.

I know it sounds unlikely, but that’s the fun part, right? I don’t really care about being right; I just enjoy how Oda has created so many intriguing elements around one character that we can endlessly analyze.

Even if I don’t agree with how he resolves some narrative elements, it’s always curious to see where he’ll take us next. So let’s keep reading and guessing! I hope you had fun reading my theory.

Also, knowing Oda, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these connections were just happy coincidences he came up with on the spot.

I remember an interview where Taz Skylar said he asked Oda a lot about One Piece (and Sanji), and most of the answers were simply, “Because I thought it would be cool.” lol

I'm sure I'm seeing a lot of things that Oda didn't really intend to have a deeper meaning, but since he hasn’t confirmed them, everything is possible, right? And I don't think it takes away the fact that some of the things he wrote, Oda was indeed planning for a long time.

Anyway, what would your crazy theory about Sanji be? Or maybe about Nami, or even both? Let me know!

For Sanji I still haven't brought up what his role to the story of One Piece could be, I’m still trying to gather my thoughts about this, so let me know if you are interested and I will post something in the future.

[lookingforsneha]

Okay but Noah Kahan's 'She calls me back' is so Jason and Piper coded. (HOO and TOA spoilers ahead!!)

Because like, firstly the whole theme about unrequited love. Because Jason still loved her after the break up, he felt empty after it. And he died for her too.

And so much of Jason's character revolved around death and sacrifice. Most of his life (before HOO) he grew up thinking all he was there for was to die, almost like the goal of his life was to die like a hero, in combat.

And him (during HOO) getting a girlfriend, him finding close friends, it feels like around that time, there was more to living than just the glorified idea of dying as a hero.

'I do not exist to die'

Although most of HOO is about them being the seven from the prophecy, of being the ones that would stop Gaea and all that, it's also about them bonding. Becoming a good team. And for Jason, a lot of it is new: he didn't exactly have friends before (except maybe Reyna?). And he's falling in love too (and I will fight anyone who says it's fake, because even if those memories were planted into their minds by Hera- still doesn't change the fact that they ended up liking eachother. They started to create their own memories- that was the point of their arc, to find out what they feel for eachother on their own and separate it from the memories Hera created)

So he starts finding new purpose- separating himself from who he was forced to be as Preator. He has more to live for now.

'I do not exist to die, but live to die while saving you'

And it just hits so hard when this line comes up because like, the Roman's literally trained him that all his life was worth was in the cohorts- what he could give to camp Jupiter. It was never a two way relation, like the Greeks, like when percy got lost, they sent out search parties- Jason got none of that, even with all he did for camp Jupiter, because they couldn't waste resources on just one guy or whatever.

So when he dies for Piper, it's like- it's worth it to him. Like, to him, this is the healthiest relationship he has had, it gives him more to live for- and by extension more to die for.

And then, Kacey Musgraves verse resonates so perfectly with Piper's Character too, because in it's essence its about the 'unrequited love' theme. She doesn't love him anymore, at least not romantically.

and then the ending with, 'all the pain I should have saved, oh I was too afraid of living life in your footsteps,' feels like it fits so perfectly with the whole thing where Piper says, "That we'd be together forever like Percy and Annabeth?"

(I feel like this is more concerned with the Fandom culture of hating Jason and Piper together just cause it's threatening to be like Percabeth, the fan fave. Rick Riordan eventually gives the audience what they want. But if you ignore Fandom culture and all of that, I think the love they shared held so much value. They had such a unique start, different problems: it was so interesting to read about how they navigate their problems. It's just the constant comparison to Percabeth: both in the book with the characters; and out of the book with Fandom culture. They were too afraid of being confined to the thought of being like Percabeth, that what they did build up was never given value. -but that's a discussion for another time-)

Anyway, I wanna hug Jason so bad rn, I can’t read this anymore and I feel like I can’t listen to this fantastic song anymore cause all I think of is Jason and how he deserved the world but got literally nothing.

I wanna write an essay about him :( and hug him.

[sweetmariihs2]

I feel like Jessie's background with Emily resonated with me the most because of the way it portrayed girlhood.

The Toy Story movie shows a lot about childhood in a boy's eyes (Andy), he lives in a "boy" room, has "boy" toys, watches "boy" cartoons and even the main characters, at least in the first movie, are all masculine characters. We see the adventures he creates with his toys and most of them are stories of action, with male characters as protagonists, it's not like there's anything wrong with that, but it's more focused in a boy's childhood itself, from the toys, to the media he likes to watch, to the room, and everything.

But Jessie... Jessie had a girl owner. And that only scene, with the "When She Loved Me" song, portrayed that very well. Not only because they added a girl but because the world around Emily and Jessie is a girl world. A "girl" room, "girl" adventures, even the fact that she enjoyed a cartoon fron her time and liked it through a girl's eyes and you girls know what I'm talking about, just has a big emotional impact on me. Some of you reading this post maybe felt like me: had the Monster High fever in 2014. Watched all the Barbie movies. Had everything princess themed.

I like how Emily didn't cared much about gender steriotypes (dresses and makeup) when she was younger, just like Jessie. Most of us don't, and after a specific age we start to care and enjoy. And I liked how the movie emphasized this, that Emily has changed and grown up, but Jessie hasn't. It's almost as if Jessie had a childish soul forever, which in fact is quite real due to the fact that she's a toy. Maybe what Emily left behind stayed in Jessie. I think the fact that Emily was the one who took Jessie out of the box also affected her a lot, because Jessie learned to live through Emily, and whether she liked it or not Emily helped shape her personality, like sharing opinions and liking the same things. I think that was also one of the reasons Jessie got so sad, because she and Emily were so similar and so well-matched that it was almost like losing a part of herself. Emily probably saw herself in Jessie's character, the red hair, the brave and sweet attitude, the cowgirl style and the love for horses.

Many of us identified with a character growing up, for example, I loved Raven Queen from Ever After High and everything about Ever After High, I had products, toys, dolls, even my school backpack, I watched the cartoon and carried my doll everywhere, I made her watch it with me, wanted to have purple highlights in my hair, and I thought she looked so much like me. Today the show was canceled without an ending and the dolls are no longer made. I still have mine, but... do you notice how familiar this story is? (I also didn't liked makeup and clothes much back then.)

When Emily started to grow up she changed, and also started to enjoy things that we, for example, started to enjoy. Makeup, music artists, stylish clothes, which are also part of the huge girlhood experience, one way or another. The little girl that loved Monster High is still in you, but now she's grown up and she enjoys listening to music and getting dressed. I listen to Lana Del Rey and Aurora now, like many of you probably listen to your favorite artists too. I went to concerts and own albums.

And that's why I love Jessie's flashback so much: because while the whole series is based in a boy's childhood, there are some small moments that weren't, and those moments were so perfectly represented, because every girl has a story like this. Yours was with what? My Little Pony? LPS? Barbie?

I feel like the Barbie movie got that really well in some moments too. It's the kind of thing you don't see in media that much. Girlhood truly is an experience.

[object-vault-9]

Y'know, I've been thinking a lot about the group of objects that the Paradise Foundation chose to kidnap. Though it was never clear why they took those specific six (except for Triangle's case) I think it works really well for Benny's story.

He has some sort of connection to all five of the other objects, whether that be through personal relationship, his brother Rufus, or the Foundation itself. Worm and Benny knew each other before the vault and Splinter became his friend after he joined it, a place which he only visited because of Apricot's rivalry with Rufus (he also found Milkweed with Splinter but that's pretty disconnected from this). Sometime later Downy Feather was part of the small group that discovered Rufus had unfortunately died and was Very Directly confronted by Benny about it. Lastly, Triangle was a secret former agent of the faction that most likely killed his brother and abducted them all. To me it's like each one of them played a part in signifigant things that've happened to him ever since he became part of Vault 9, so it feels almost fitting that they were chosen to be taken, as if to tie everything together at the climax of Benny's involvement with the Foundation and probable end to his story with the injury and deadly sickness resulting from their escape.

Some of the other abductees too have this event resonate well with their storylines, Triangle even more so than Benny since he originated from there and spent so long deliberating on his loyalties. Splinter also was one of the three objects present when the Foundation first contacted the vault and greatly cares about her robot friend Gameboy whom they wanted back so badly. Downy Feather had not yet joined his family in the kidnapping experience. Really, the whole Paradise Foundation saga was (kinda still is) impactful on several character's stories, and though it felt completely random at the time it now kinda makes sense that those six ended up in the heart of it.

(Sorry for the super long ask, I listened to "Worried about Ray" too many times and created a mental AMV focused on Benny in my head ahah. That made me realize the interconnections of this whole thing, and, well... here this is.)

You're right, I've thought about how they were connected before but I didn't make the connection to how it coincides with specific events in Benny's story ! 

And you're right about the other abductees too ! I feel bad for Apricot the most, he is way too young to get yoinked so many times, he's lucky (or unlucky) that his life before being abandoned at the vault was even more high stress.

Triangle it's like the climax of his loyalty arc, Splinter is so close to Gameboy like you said and honestly Worm I think just expects chaos she's hard to keep down. On a marginally related note, Splinter's healing at the foundation was because she basically was instantly healed the moment she was picked up. She (and Benny) got hurt again on their return by coincidence.

I love how it worked out the way it did, the actual characters chosen were random! I at the time had "mass extinction events" clicked on and luckily instead of an extinction it was a "captured by two legs" situation, and with it lining up during it right after the 'war' with the foundation I turned it into that! 

Don't worry about the long asks I love them, and I do hope to put at least one v9 pmv/animatic/etc out into the world one day 

[theink-stainedfolk]

Writer Questions Tag

Thank you for the tag @paeliae-occasionally

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What is your absolute all-time favourite idea you’ve ever had?

It's tough to pick, but The Veil of Allegiance stands out. Maybe because I realte to their friendship with my ex friend. Idk it really resonates with me.

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

One that stuck with me was, "What drives your characters?" It’s such a simple question, but it forced me to look deeper into each character's motivations and has been instrumental in shaping many of my stories.

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

Crafting nuanced, morally complex characters is my favorite part. I love delving into their minds, motivations, and contradictions. The part I could leave is the pressure of editing or trying to get every sentence perfect.

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

My greatest motivation is the desire to explore and understand the human condition. Writing allows me to dissect emotions, morality, and the complexity of relationships. Also, the feeling of connection when readers resonate with my work drives me forward.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

The best advice I’ve received was, "Write the story only you can write." It’s a reminder to trust my unique voice and experiences and not get caught up in trends or comparisons.

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

I wish I knew how important it is to trust the process and not rush. I used to worry so much about getting it all perfect from the start, but writing is all about drafting, editing, and letting the story evolve.

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

I haven’t completed any stories for public sharing yet.

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

I’d say Livan Arklight from my royal descendant story has the most controversial mindset. He’s fiercely loyal to the Queen, to the point of paranoia, and sees betrayal in almost everyone, leading to extreme actions. I personally find his motivations fascinating but recognize that his sense of loyalty can be dangerously rigid.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

Younger me would probably be impressed by how I’ve fleshed out so many ideas and would admire the depth of my current projects. I think they’d be excited and motivated to see where I’ve ended up, though a bit surprised by the darker, more psychological themes I’ve embraced over time.

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I'll tag @finickyfelix @willtheweaver @leahnardo-da-veggie @illarian-rambling @winglesswriter

@the-golden-comet @thecomfywriter @roarintheheavens @drchenquill @wyked-ao3 @the-inkwell-variable

[ask-andante]

I've followed this story and thought a lot about the characters on this blog since nearly the beginning, they'll all continue to be a huge source of happiness and inspiration for me for a very long time. If you ever do decide to continue the story, do a reboot, or do anything else with them I will 100% be there for it.

I also just wanted to say that the ending you had in mind is so beautifully tragic. Andante finally gets his old wish for power granted but it's at the cost of losing the same person he loved so dearly for the second time, this time permanently(?). The two of them finally got to spend time together without Andante being in the grip of Madness, which I'm sure was wonderful while it lasted, and they defeated A Literal God together. But it still results in Kia's death. They both defied their fates so strongly and yet Tial, the mew who was fated to always die, still dies again in the end. My heart hurts. 😭

Oh and I did have a couple questions- Does Andante ever learn that Kia was created from Tial's DNA? And do all/most of his memories manage to come back before he becomes the new god?

ARRRGG THANK YOU !! ;__;;b the fact they're ever on people's mind is something i never know unless people mention it so knowing this makes me really happy and encourages me w future ventures too !! ;__;;!!

YEAS... I am happy the ending resonates w you !! I like to think Kia helps Andan best he can while Andan starts his journey to recover, even if he prolly uses the new mission as a distraction... so many opportunities to be held in arms of big mewtwo guy.......

I don't think they were ever gonna find out! Kia is made from several sources of DNA, Tial's just happened to be in there and prolly makes up a good chunk of it. Plus after the earth explodes, there's no more records to go sift through regarding Kia's creation, and considering he was a huge bully as a little mewtwo I think he thinks it's fer the best JKBDSJKFJKSDB

As fer Andan's memories, yes and no, becoming god is weird and you become something else almost entirely. Since he wasn't "born" as an energy god, he would be able to maintain a physical form and he eventually deviates from his original appearance but remains mew-like. I think he gains them all back but in the, now aware of them way, rather than "i lived that personally" way.

[maagicmushies]

Naruto is a bad ninja. That's like baby’s first Naruto criticism. This is supposed to be a manga about ninja, yet its main character is a loudmouth clad in bright orange who has never even heard of the word subtlety. There are even large stretches of the manga where he is one of the weakest main characters, so he’s even failing at the manga’s specific definition of a ninja. He is just horrible at it. But one thing that I never hear a lot of people mention is that Naruto is a bad ninja by design, he needs to be.

The Land of Waves Arc serves two main functions. The first is easing the reader or viewer into the world of shinobi on a very “scientific” level. You learn what chakra is, what the three main types of jutsu are, what chakra control is, how ninja rank works, what kekkei genkai is and so on and so forth. Everything that would be in a textbook to be studied by entry level ninja is in this arc. The second function is a look into the world of shinobi on a more “ideological” level in the second half. Ninja take on jobs, but rarely do they take on jobs for other ninja. They mainly take on jobs for local feudal lords or crime lords who wish to use these strengths for political purposes. In this way, Naruto’s ninja are sorta like mercenaries. Ninja are expected to kill the people who they have culture and shared experiences with for the sake of people who really couldn't care less about them. Their intelligence is their most valued aspect and emotions can compromise that so a trained ninja can’t even cry. As Zabuza says, a ninja is just a tool to be used by their employer and anyone who cannot do that, is a bad ninja.

One of the most genius things about this arc is that almost every named ninja we see ends up breaking a vital rule of the ninja code. Haku and Sasuke sacrifice their lives for loved ones, compromising their mission in the process while Sakura, Naruto and Zabuza are reduced to blubbering crying messes by the end. They all failed at being ninja because to be a ninja is to cast away your humanity, something that isn’t really possible. By the end of the first arc, the series has planted the idea that being a ninja isn’t something to be desired. Ninjutsu and throwing stars are cool, but this ideal of a “real” ninja is so cynical and cold that anyone who could pull it off perfectly would be as miserable as they are abhorrent. Trust me, we’ll get back into that. The arc ends with Naruto deciding that he’ll find his own ninja way. A way to be a ninja that is not synonymous with pain and cruelty.

Following the Land of Waves we go to the Chunin Exams, the stock tournament arc of the series. One thing that sets Naruto’s tournament arc apart from a more standard one is that winning isn’t the primary goal. Anyone who has watched the show or read the manga might say “Of course winning isn’t the primary goal, Shikamaru lost, yet was the only Konoha genin to promote”, but becoming Chunin isn’t even the main goal of the Chunin exams. The main goal of the Chunin Exams is to show off a nation’s talent, both as an advertisement to would-be employers and as a flex to rival villages to show what they have in store for them if they try to start a war. It was created as a form of deterrence, a ninja equivalent to broadcasting a video of your nation’s rocket capabilities. Ironically, this “mock war” ends up turning into a real war as Orochimaru uses it as a smoke screen for his real invasion. Naruto comes into the exams pretty unprepared as a fighter, but very prepared emotionally. He speaks to the demons inside of Neji and Gaara, desperately wanting to ease the pain that they’re going through. He can’t stand the idea of losing them, just like he lost haku so he talks to them like they’re people and not weapons and it resonates. The two would end up becoming lifelong friends with Naruto as a result and it had jack shit to do with his skill as a ninja. He succeeded with them because he was a person to them.

The Search for Tsunade arc is not too important for this analysis, but does introduce an idea that will become important later where Jiraiya purports that a real ninja is “one who endures”. This isn’t just fancy waffling but how the literal kanji for the word “ninja” can be broken down. That’s why, in Jiraiya’s eyes, being a ninja is not about being the most efficient or knowing the most jutsu. It’s about never giving up even when everyone else wants you to. It is what he has done his entire life and what he teaches Naruto to do. However, this is far from the only interpretation of “one who endures”. Sasuke’s flashbacks of how he remembers Itachi is massively important to our understanding of ninja because Itachi is the perfect ninja. Remember that “One Who Endures” thing? Yeah, Itachi takes that to the extreme because he thinks that it is a viable path for a shinobi to be hated by all. If that lets them do their job to the best of their ability, so be it. That’s why he handles the Uchiha coup like he does. He becomes hated by his entire village, the entire world and hated most of all by the person he loved the most. But Itachi got his job done. He did it so well that no one ever knew he was doing a job at all.

If Itachi is what lies at the end of all shinobi, if all of them got to be "perfect", we’d have entire clans and communities getting slaughtered by well meaning people just wishing to prolong the existence of the village by a couple of years. Itachi’s partner Kisame has a very similar backstory. In fact, you could argue that all of the Akatsuki are perfect shinobi. All young prodigies who were allowed to exercise cruelty because that’s what their job called for and simply got cut off by the people who weren’t able to handle the monsters that they created. It’s no coincidence that this group of ninja who were all able to be better ninja at the cost of their humanity all show some form of body horror or inhumanity in their design.

This pertains most to Sasori, one of the main villains of the Kazekage Rescue Arc. Sasori was clearly traumatized but no one in the sand cared because he was able to channel that trauma into his incredible skill with puppet ninjutsu. And then when he became more and more broken over time, creating human puppets and assassinating Kazekage, they tried to act as if they had no hand in that. However, just like Zabuza and Gaara before him, Sasori could not fully discard his humanity. He tried to replace so much of his human body with puppetry but he was never able to get rid of his heart, poetically. The same goes for Sai in the next arc, who has been trained from birth to kill off all individuality. Even before his big turn, Sai constantly laments over the fact that despite trying so hard, he can never get anyone to truly like him. It’s natural that as humans we crave connection and want to love. The more you try to act like this is a lie, the more you end up like a Sai. And no one likes Sai.

A similarly unlikable character would be Kakashi during the events of Kakashi Gaiden. Another ninja capable of putting the job above all his personal connections and he constantly disrespects his friends and own father. Sakumo Hatake was incredibly strong, but far from the perfect ninja I’ve been describing. He decided to abandon a mission partway, which saved his allies but inconvenienced his employer. The derision he faced was enough for him to commit suicide. In Kakashi’s eyes, his father was a coward, but to Kakashi’s best friend Obito? Sakumo was a hero. He might have been a bad ninja, but if caring about people you love makes you a bad ninja, then good ninja do not need to exist. Obito holds this opinion not as a villain, but as a rather heroic child with shocking similarities to Naruto. When he later fights Naruto, Naruto ends up appealing to Obito by empathizing with his beliefs about the ninja world. It sucks! His best friend’s life was ruined by a “perfect” ninja, he spent his entire life being hated and used because the ninja code for Jinchuriki was to roll them out as weapons during war time and then shamefully hide them during peacetime. Naruto knows why Obito would want to tear it down because he also wants to. They just have differing methods of how to.

The same goes for Sasuke when he rises up to become the final villain of the series. Sasuke recognizes the poison on the ninja world, what it does to people like him, his brother his best friend, Hashirama and Madara, every ninja in existence. That is why he wishes to forge a new path, killing off the ruling class and uniting all against him. It’s essentially what Itachi did, but on a global scale. Sasuke’s plan is bad and fails because it relies on embracing a ninja truth and the antithesis of the series - severing one’s bonds. Every single arc time and time again we come to learn that this idea of “severing bonds” does not work, it cannot work. The pit of loneliness you’re left in will kill you or warp you to a point where you’re no longer human. Naruto’s answer is forming an unbreakable bond between all people. Disrespecting and blurring the artificial line between class, between village, between civilian and ninja. The Great Naruto Bridge from the Land of Waves is a little cheesy, but emblematic of his final role in the story. Through his kindness he becomes able to link all together and he didn’t do this by being a good ninja. He did it by being a pretty bad one.