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The internet has been taken by storm as 19-year-old Eiichiro Oda’s early work has surfaced online, and it has shown great resemblance to his masterwork,One Piece. Fans have been thinking that maybe Oda planned the final components ofOne Piecealmost 30 years ago, as the protagonist from his early work feels a lot like a mysteriousOne Piececharacter.
This character is none other than Joy Boy, the first-ever pirate inOne Pieceand one of the most important members of the Ancient Kingdom. Even though Joy Boy’s physical appearance is not disclosed in the story, his qualities and skills are abundantly evident, and his characteristics align with those of the protagonist of Oda’s early works.
Oda’s early work is calledForward,and its main character’s name is Monkey D. Pao, establishing his connection to not only Joy Boy but also toOne Piece’sprotagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. Therefore, there is a great chance that Oda might introduce Pao as Joy Boy in the final narrative ofOne Piece.
Eiichiro Oda’s Early Work Makes Rounds on the Internet
PopularOne Piecefan account @pewpiece recently shared unpublished manuscripts of Oda’s early work calledForward. Forwardwas created by Oda when he was 19 years old, and his first editor revealed that these manuscripts were more than 30 years old; thus, it is highly plausible that the narrative ofForwardworked as an inspiration forOne Piece.
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The main character of Foward was Monkey D. Pao, who looks a lot like Luffy, and his main trait is sleeping and stretching, just like theOne Pieceprotagonist.
Unpublished Manuscript of Early Work “Forward” by 19-Year-Old Eiichiro Oda
This is the earliest version of OnePiece that Oda ever drew. We now know that Nika was planned a long time ago.pic.twitter.com/45zLeXaayr
— Pew (@pewpiece)July 19, 2025
While this makes both characters similar in more than one way, another character description by Oda about Pao that reads, “People who can laugh off their weaknesses are the strongest,”leans him more toward Joy Boy and Sun God Nika.
The reason behind this is Luffy’s Nika transformation. It has already been established that Luffy’s Nika transformation (Gear 5)becomes stronger the more he laughs. Thus, there is a great chance that Nika or Joy Boy were inspired by Pao’s characteristics and abilities.
Can Monkey D. Pao FromForwardBe Joy Boy inOne Piece?
As it has already been established, Monkey D. Pao is quite similar to Joy Boy and Luffy, so there is a big chance that he could make an appearance inOne Pieceas Joy Boy itself.
Oda’s First Editor Reveals Unpublished Early Work “Forward” by 19-Year-Old Eiichiro Oda Featuring Proto-One Piece Concepts from 30 Years Ago
– Forward: The protagonist, an optimistic boy named “Monkey D. Pao,” bears a striking resemblance to Luffy. His bandana’s pattern is…pic.twitter.com/kr2uLavsnG
Although a decent amount of information has been given byEiichiro Odaabout Joy Boy, there is still a lot of mystery left about the character.
However, as the story has already entered the finale saga, Oda might soon reveal everything about Joy Boy, and he could very well be Monkey D. Pao. Oda had already done something similar with Monsters and Ryuma, which were also created at the time ofForward,and they still made an appearance inOne Piece.
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Also, so many similarities between two different characters from two different narratives by the same mangaka point that this might be Oda’s plan to hint at Joy Boy, and maybe his time to make a physical appearance inOne Piecehas finally come.
You can watchOne Pieceon Crunchyroll.
Tarun Kohli
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2959
Tarun Kohli is the Senior Anime Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,900 published articles. He currently specializes in critiquing One Piece and other Shonen anime. A passionate fan of the genre, his love for thoughtful analysis reflects his genuine appreciation for the art of anime. His deep understanding of anime culture has earned recognition from industry figures such as Adi Shankar and the creators of Blood of Zeus.
