Laughter in One Piece it has become iconic in both anime and manga. Many characters are known for having huge smiles, or even the charismatic sound of their laughter. This happens with both heroes and villains, as is the case with Big Mom y Gecko Moria.
However, this theme may be more than just an aesthetic element or an iconic anime addition. Many theories suggest that laughter will play a fundamental role in the next outcomes of One Pieceand there are loads of scenes on which to base ourselves to think this.
In this article we will analyze the importance of laughter in One Piece, taking into account the events that highlighted laughter or sadness as a fundamental part of the plot. But first we warn you that below we will deal with spoilers about the anime y the mangaso proceed carefully.
Caesar Clown: The clown who creates sadness
Caesar Clown is a brilliant scientist known for having been a companion of the famous Dr. Vegapunk. The two parted ways after the Punk Hazard incident in which Caesar destroyed two of the island’s three labs testing his weapon of mass destruction.
The island was devastated with poison gas and Caesar fled. He would later collect the debris from the explosion and create a huge gas creature called Smiley (the name by which any representation of a smiley face is known). Another reference to the importance of laughter in one piece.
This is no accident. Caesar’s last name is Clown, which means “clown” in Spanish. Maybe that’s why he’s laughing most of the time. However, the scientist is essential to the story because he is the only person who can produce SAD, a substance needed to create artificial fruit. SAD means “Sad”, so he is a clown that produces sadness. But there is something else…
The importance of laughter (SMILE) in One Piece
Another one of the characters that always seems to be smiling is Donquixote Doflamingo. He was for a long time the strongest of the Warlords of the Sea. But his ambitions went far beyond a simple title.
Caesar Clown was being chased by the Navy due to the incident of Punk Hazard. Doflamingo offered him safety by accepting him into his crew, which was being protected by the Navy. But all this had a clear objective.
Doflamingo used Caesar Clown to create a Devil Fruit artificial Zoan type. The project seemed to be a success, and these fruits were baptized as “Smile”, which means “Smile”. Later, in the Wano arc, we find out that the name is because those who eat a Smile fruit and don’t develop the powers, they are doomed to laugh forever.
The SAD is introduced into the rivers that feed the trees from which the Smile grow. But if laughter is one of the Smile’s effects that also grants power, one thing and the other could be related. Somehow, laughter, and in a larger sense joy, seems to have something to do with the fruits scattered throughout the mysterious world of One Piece.
Allegories and references to laughter in One Piece
Both heroes and villains they usually smile in One Piece. Some are more charismatic than others, but laughter doesn’t seem to be related to power. However, it is usually more present in pirates than in the Navy.
Laughter represents enjoyment, and even relaxation or ignorance. The Navy is more serious, as it is constantly preoccupied with the battles between pirates and the drama of the celestial dragons. That’s why we see multiple allegories to laughter among pirates.
An example of this is the flag of Luffy: A smiling skull showing its teeth. This could be a coincidence, but small details throughout the series suggest that this is not the case.
On the other hand, the flag Doflamingo it is a crossed out smiley face, referring to a fake smile, in the same way that he produces fake fruit. His title of “Joker” is also a reference to trickery and laughter.
the hat of Ace He shows us another clue, since he has two faces: one smiling and the other sad. This duality invites us to think that Ace was not the 100% smile, which will become relevant later.
Other scenes also subtly show us laughing. For example, Sabo and Ace’s reaction upon hearing Luffy’s dream was a laugh. It’s exactly the same reaction that Oden and Whitebeard had when Gol D. Roger told them of his final plan. For some reason, just like the Smiles, the song is laughable.
The initial D. and its relationship with laughter
In la serie One Piece there are some specific characters that possess the mysterious initial D. These pirates are said to be the natural enemies of the Celestial Dragons, the nobles of the world protected by the Navy. However, we still do not know the reason for this.
The funny thing is that the whole topic could also be related to laughter, since the letter D looks like a smile. In fact, it is the letter traditionally used to make the smiley face (:D).
To complement this theory, we have the detail that all the characters that have carried the initial D. in his name, they have died with an emblematic smile on their face. This includes Gol D. Roger, Jaguar D. Saul, Portgas D. Rouge, and Portgas D. Ace. Even Monkey D. Luffy smiled when he thought that he was going to die at Buggy’s hands.
The answer to this is also related to the events of the empty century, which the world government has tried to hide for generations. Everything seems to indicate that a smiling hero will appear at an opportune moment bringing a storm, although we will talk more about that below.
Laugh Tale: Island of Laughter and One Piece
If you are still not convinced about the importance of laughter in one pieceyou will have no doubts after exploring a little about the last island of the Grand Line.
Initially known as Raftel Due to translation issues, the island became known as the most difficult area to reach in the world. But what makes it really interesting is that the treasure left by Joy Boythe coveted One Piece.
And what does this have to do with laughter? Well, it turns out that Raftel was for many years a translation error. The name in Japanese is ラフテル (Rafuteru), which translates to Laugh Tale, which means “Laughing Tale”.
Goal D. Roger was that he gave this name to the island, because laughter was his reaction and that of his entire crew after seeing the One Piece. Dozens of happy laughter joined together as Gol Roger wished he had met Joy Boy.
Joy Boy
The story of Joy Boy is quite complex and enigmatic, but it gives us more clues about the importance of laughter in One Piece.
“Joy” means “happiness” in Spanish, and “Boy” means “boy”. But more than a nickname, Joy Boy seems to refer to a character who lived 800 years before the story of One Piecewho left messages all over the world and who promised his return in the future.
With the most recent manga events (here is a important spoiler), we see that the Devil Fruit that Luffy ate as a child is actually the Hito Hito no Mi: Nika model. This fruit can “awaken” by releasing a transformation in which the bearer receives Joyboy’s title.
When Luffy awakens his fruit fighting Kaido, the elephant Zunesha stated, “Joy Boy has returned.” To leave no doubt about his relationship with laughter, this transformation is all smiles. This can be luffy’s true purpose: make an impact on the world using your smile.
Of course, although everything seems to indicate that laughter will have great relevance in One Piece, everything can change in the next arc. Oda already expressed his wish to surprise the fans with something that nobody has guessed until now, so there is always room for surprises.
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