Joy Boy is a very intriguing character in One Piece that every fan of the story wants to know more about. Having been introduced properly in that post-timeskip of One Piece, there are still many mysteries surrounding this individual that fans would want to know. Thankfully, the Egghead Island arc of One Piece gave fans a sneak peek into the past of Joy Boy, what he did during the Void Century, and highlighted his significance once again.
Now, fans have somewhat of an idea of what Joy Boy used to be like and what he did in the past. However, the image of Joy Boy that fans have in their mind might just be starkly different from what he’s actually like, and here’s why.
The Image of Joy Boy And Comparisons To Luffy
Joy Boy and Luffy Are Somewhat Similar In One Piece
When Joy Boy was introduced in the story, fans knew that Luffy would go on to be like him. Many feared that Luffy would be a reincarnation of Joy Boy and that the series would go down the reincarnation route, just like many other popular stories. Thankfully, that ended up not being the case here, and Joy Boy was actually revealed to be more of a title than an actual person. This is why both Luffy and the man who existed in the Void Century can be Joy Boy at the same time. When it comes to the powers of these individuals, however, fans know that they are similar. Joy Boy held the power of Nika, the tales of whom spread from Elbaf to the entire world. Joy Boy had the power to stretch and shrink, just like rubber, and above all, he had a glorious all-white form with a smoke ring around his neck. Fans who have witnessed the journey of Monkey D Luffy know this form of Joy Boy, and that Luffy calls it Gear 5. Essentially, Gear 5 is the awakened form of Luffy’s Devil Fruit, which also goes proves that both Luffy and Joy Boy had the same devil fruit.
This is further backed up by the fact that the Elders clearly mentioned that the Gomu Gomu no Mi has not been awakened in centuries, meaning that there was an individual who did awaken it long ago, and that person was likely the Joy Boy that fans know of right now. Both Luffy and Joy Boy are likely similar in many ways. For instance, both of them believe in the idea of freedom, and helping people. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to any fan and this is simply down to the fact that Zoan Devil Fruits have a will of their own. They only choose the people they think are fit to hold the power. As such, Zoan Devil Fruits work based upon the personality of the individuals.
Joy Boy, Where did you go? Want to see you. You were there, Joy Boy. Strange. So strange…
They would only go to the person who they think fits the power that they hold. As such, only individuals who are carefree, value freedom and fight against oppression would be qualified enough to hold this power. That is precisely why fans can say confidently that Joy Boy and Luffy have similar personalities. This is also where a line needs to be drawn, however. Joy Boy and Luffy might believe in similar ideals, but everything else about them could be starkly different. For instance, Joy Boy could have a different view on things when compared to Luffy. Or, Joy Boy could be smarter than Luffy, and not somewhat dumb like him. In other ways, Joy Boy could be a completely different combatant, making use of different abilities in combat that Luffy cannot even think of. And, this is where his place of origin comes in.
The Significance Of Joy Boy’s Place Of Origin
Joy Boy Was Born During The Void Century
Fans know for a fact that Joy Boy was born in the Ancient Kingdom that existed in the world of One Piece long ago. This Ancient Kingdom was described to be a prosperous place that was so majestic that the 20 Kingdoms had to combine their strength to match it. Eventually, the Ancient Kingdom was utterly destroyed, and according to Vegapunk, this happened because of a difference in ideologies. What Vegapunk did highlight, however, is that the Ancient Kingdom was incredibly advanced in terms of science.
The Egghead Island that exists today is actually a relic from the past, and even then, its technology doesn’t compare to what the Ancient Kingdom had 900 years ago. Essentially, the Ancient Kingdom had technology that cannot even be imagined at this point, and Vegapunk spent his entire life emulating just one of their major achievements, and that is, the Mother Flame. This technology ties directly to Joy Boy as well. Fans know that Joy Boy was from this incredibly advanced Kingdom.
Clearly, being born and raised in this Kingdom meant the Joy Boy had scientific prowess, in some way or form. Joy Boy was also directly linked to the ancient weapons, given that he wanted to pass them on to the next generation, and this is once again a confirmation of the fact that Joy Boy Had some scientific prowess. For an individual who hailed from such a place, not indulging in scientific technology himself would be a strange decision and this is where he might be different from Luffy.
How Joy Boy Likely Differs From What You Think
Joy Boy Could’ve Been A Scientific Tech Master
The Joy Boy fans have in their mind is just like Luffy. He has free-wheeling combat, as is expected of any user of the Nika fruit, but he fights with his hands and his feet, and is simply a melee fighter who fights closed-ranged battles. He’s dumb and has no scientific prowess at all. But, the real Joy Boy is likely completely different in some regards. While it is true that he should still maintain the ideas of freedom, freewheeling combat, and a carefree attitude, there are other differences between these two individuals that fans need to highlight more. For instance, Joy Boy should have more of a smart personality. He should know how to utilize scientific technology and incorporate it into his own combat. Joy Boy could have weapons that he could enhance with his own imagination or even create them. At the same time, he could also have outfits that are incredibly advanced in terms of science and aid him greatly in battle.
Joy Boy wanted to preserve the weapons for the future!! Why would he do that for such dangerous things? Have we not sunk far enough?
Joy Boy could potentially even make use of things like Mother Flame in combat, and this could directly tie to how the drums of liberation woke up the Iron Giant as well. The Joy Boy that fans have in their minds would not be anything like this. However, the real Joy Boy is likely somewhat with immense scientific know-how, a unique arsenal of weapons that fans cannot even imagine, and someone with immense intelligence and foresight, unlike Luffy.
This would make his character very unique, all the while giving him the same core attributes that Luffy possesses, and it wouldn’t even be a stretch to say that this is what he used to be like.
