Eiichiro Oda first introduced the legend of ‘Sun God’ Nika in Volume 101, Chapter 1018 of One Piece. Wano Country Arc of One Piece was incredibly crucial in establishing the real nature of Monkey D. Luffy. As the ending of the arc got closer, one of the most unexpected twists in the story was introduced.

Sun God Nika
One Piece: Sun God Nika (Credits: Toei Animation)

Luffy’s Devil Fruit finally awakened, making him incredibly powerful; strong enough to go toe-to-toe against the likes of Kaido. Moreover, the legend of Sun God Nika was properly explained for the first time in the story. However, it seems like Oda had the concept of Nika planned out way earlier!

Eiichiro Oda Planned The Concept Of Nika Before One Piece

Luffy
Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika (Credits: Toei Animation)

Eiichiro Oda is not called the greatest mangaka of our times for no reason. An X user and a credible source of all things One Piece posted an unpublished early work of a 19-year-old Oda titled “Forward” featuring proto-One Piece concepts that Oda’s first editor revealed.

According to the post, the protagonist of “Forward” is an optimistic boy named “Monkey D. Pao”, who bears a striking resemblance to Luffy. Moreover, the character wears a bandana with a pattern reminiscent of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. The story also includes a girl thief named Rizel, similar to Nami.

The second work, titled “The Spirit of the Rubber Tree” has a character named Merry, who is 5008 years old and has a distinctive laugh like Nika’s “Wahahaha.” The post also includes a note from Oda that reads: “The person who can laugh off their weaknesses is the strongest.”

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It is incredible that Oda conceptualized One Piece when he was only 19 years old, even before the manga was ideated. An X user tweeted that it is amazing that Oda had the core concept of the story in his mind since the beginning.

Who Exactly Is Sun God Nika?

Nika in Chapter 1018
Nika in Chapter 1018 (Credits: Viz Media)

First mentioned for the first time in Chapter 1018, Nika was a renowned warrior revered almost as a deity. He was revered as a god in the past, according to Who’s Who, and lived in the One Piece universe centuries ago. Nika is also known to have been highly valued by the slaves of the ancient world.

The story goes that during difficult and trying times, Nika would make every slave smile and spread laughter. But Nika’s legend extends beyond their ability to make people smile and laugh.

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A popular belief in the ancient One Piece world was that Nika would eventually free all the slaves of the world and eventually liberate them in the process. Moreover, there’s the fact that Nika is somehow related to the protagonist of the story, Luffy.

Although not much is known about Nika apart from the irregular flashbacks and bleak connections, knowing how Oda writes his stories, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Nika is going to feature as an important part of the series.

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