ONE PIECE Analysis! – Summary of the Sun God Nika! Is He Luffy’s Ancestor? Joy Boy? Is His Race the Lunarian? Is His Origin Hanuman? The Statue of Nike? What Does He Look Like? What Are the Clues? - Manga Analysis

The new character known as the “Sun God Nika” was first revealed by one of the Tobiroppo, Who’s-Who. He was once a legendary warrior.

Given the expression “Sun God,” it somewhat evokes the “Breath of the Sun” and “Hinokami Kagura” from ‘Demon Slayer.’

So, this time, let’s thoroughly examine the “shocking true identity of the Sun God Nika.” What are the clues related to Nika’s identity? What exactly is the origin of Nika?

Table of contents

Is the Sun God Nika an Ancient Legendary Warrior?
The Sun (Nika) Rises and the Dawn (Family of D) Arrives
Was Nika Already Depicted on Skypiea?
Luffy’s Devil Fruit is the Zoan-type “Nika.”
Is the true face of the Sun God Nika revealed in Gear 5?
Are there too many hints about Nika?
1. Luffy was looking at Nika
Is the Sun God Nika the same as Joy Boy?
1. Joy Boy awakened the Nika Fruit 800 years ago?
Meaning of Being a Mythical Type：Was Nika Really Real?
Was Nika’s race an “albino Lunarian”?
Was Nika inspired by the goddess Nike or Amaterasu?
Was Nika modeled after the monkey god Hanuman?
1. The “Drum” of Thunder Gods and Nika’s Drum of Liberation
2. Mistaking “the sun” for a “fruit” and trying to eat it

Is the Sun God Nika an Ancient Legendary Warrior?

First, let’s explain who exactly the Sun God Nika is.

The “Sun God” Nika is described as a “legendary warrior believed in by slaves in ancient times.” Whether he actually existed is unknown, but the Five Elders refer to him as a “warrior of liberation.”

Thus, the Sun God Nika is positioned as a “legendary hero who liberates people from suffering and brings them smiles.”

Even Who’s-Who, who was imprisoned for a blunder during his time with CP9, prayed to the Sun God Nika while in prison. Nika is someone even villains would cling to.

Despite this, the Sun God Nika’s recognition is overwhelmingly low (he only appeared towards the end of ONE PIECE), and the guard who told Who’s-Who about Nika was executed later.

Therefore, just like the Void Century, which is strictly prohibited from being researched, the Sun God Nika also seems to be a figure that the Celestial Dragons and the World Government do not want to be widely known.

On the other hand, Jinbe, who was once the captain of the Sun Pirates, seems to know about “Nika.” He says, “I have nothing to tell you. If you want to meddle with history, come with half-hearted determination.”

So, is it possible that the name of the Sun Pirates was derived from the Sun God Nika?

The Sun (Nika) Rises and the Dawn (Family of D) Arrives

Next, let’s consider the relationship between the sun and the Family of D.

In ONE PIECE, the sound effect “Dawn” is frequently used.

This “Dawn” is often interpreted to mean “the dawn” in English. The title of the first chapter of ONE PIECE, “Romance Dawn,” clearly symbolizes the Family of D.

A characteristic of the Family of D, led by Roger and Ace, is that they “smile even at the moment of death.” The fact that each character’s way of laughing is different clearly shows that the author, Eiichiro Oda, has a strong focus on “laughter.”

Thus, Nika’s name might be derived from the onomatopoeia “Nika,” which represents the sound of laughing. Considering that Nika is characterized as a “warrior of liberation who brings smiles to people,” it is reasonable to think so.

Therefore, the connection between Nika and the Family of D is deep. The sun (Nika) rises in the morning, bringing the dawn (Family of D). The disappearance of the Sun God (Nika) is why the current world is shrouded in night.

Indeed, the Sun God Nika hints at being a “bringer of dawn.” However, as will be discussed later, whether Nika’s race was the Family of D is unclear.

Was Nika Already Depicted on Skypiea?

Nika finally appeared after over 1,000 chapters of ONE PIECE, but it seems he was subtly introduced during the Skypiea arc.

The silhouette of Nika dancing joyfully, mentioned earlier, overlaps with the silhouette of Luffy dancing joyfully with the residents of Skypiea after defeating Enel.

Additionally, the “Drums of Liberation” (Don Don Tot) were foreshadowed during the Skypiea arc, and Luffy’s silhouette was also impressive in that scene.

Light (the sun) creates shadows (silhouettes). Jinbe decided to risk his life following Luffy because he overlapped Nika’s image (silhouette) with Luffy.

The huge shadow was the shadow of the “sun” projected from Skypiea, reminiscent of Nika’s shadowy silhouette. The letter “I” in the title was likely Nika’s silhouette.

Skypiea had the “Golden City of Shandora (City of Gold).” Similarly, Wano Country, where Luffy first awakened Gear 5, was once called the “Land of Gold.”

Why did the name of the Sun God Nika suddenly appear during the Wano Country arc? This is precisely because the two city-states shared the common point of “gold.”

Former Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku, said, “Why are so many big shots involved with Wano Country? It seems too much to be a coincidence,” suggesting that Nika’s existence might hold the key.

Luffy’s Devil Fruit is the Zoan-type “Nika.”

But why were Luffy and Nika’s silhouettes so similar? Could it be that the Sun God Nika was Luffy’s ancestor?

To conclude, Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not the Gum-Gum Fruit, but the Human-Human Fruit (Model: Nika). Nika refers to the Sun God Nika.

Therefore, Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not a Paramecia-type but ultimately a Zoan-type.

The answer lies in the fact that Luffy inherited the abilities of Nika. However, as will be discussed later, Luffy himself is not a direct descendant of Nika.

Then why did Luffy’s body stretch like rubber if it wasn’t the Gum-Gum Fruit?

Upon further consideration, it’s likely because Nika’s race, the Lunarian, had bodies that could stretch like rubber.

The Lunarian was an extinct race called the “God’s race” that once lived on the Red Line. The reason Nika is called a god might be because he was part of this godly race.

The Lunarian also had the characteristic of their bodies catching fire, significantly increasing their defense. The Sun is essentially a mass of flames or fire (though in reality, it’s nuclear fusion).

Luffy’s sudden use of fire-based attacks like “Red” during Gear 2 and Gear 4 was due to having the abilities of the Sun God Nika.

Luffy calls the awakened state of the Nika Fruit Gear 5. Combining the characters “Ni” and “Ka” creates the Japanese kanji for “five.” Luffy’s birthday is also on May 5th, aligning with the number five to emphasize the connection to Nika.

Is the true face of the Sun God Nika revealed in Gear 5?

Next, let’s consider the “true face” of the Sun God Nika. Since this Devil Fruit is a Zoan-type, seeing Luffy’s face when the ability is activated should reveal Nika’s face.

In fact, Luffy’s face changed when the Nika Fruit awakened into Gear 5.

Luffy’s entire body turned white, his eyebrows became swirly like the Vinsmoke family, and his eyes changed to resemble those of Imu and Zunesha, looking like the sun.

As the Human-Human Fruit is a Zoan-type, Gear 5 should also have three forms: human, human-beast, and beast. Given the scene where Luffy returns to his normal human form due to fatigue, this image likely represents the human-beast form.

Thus, the true form of Nika should be revealed when the beast form is activated. Therefore, the face Luffy showed when Gear 5 was first revealed is probably not Nika’s true face.

Assuming Nika was of the Lunarian, his original skin color would have been “dark,” so Luffy’s beast form might turn into a “dark-skinned type” opposite to the white.

Are there too many hints about Nika?

Let’s analyze the numerous hints about Nika. It seems that there were hints about Luffy’s true Devil Fruit being the Nika Fruit depicted quite some time ago.

For example, in the cover of Chapter 571 of One Piece Volume 58, there’s a scene where Nami is getting a haircut by a giant crab.

In this scene, the crab is reflected in a mirror, and if you reverse the characters of Japanese “Kani” (crab), you get “Nika.”

It may seem like a stretch, but Chapter 571 of ONE PIECE was the first time Fleet Admiral Sengoku revealed his Devil Fruit ability.

Sengoku’s ability is the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Type (Model: Buddha), so it might have been a hint that Nika is also a type of Human-Human Fruit.

Although there’s no direct connection to Luffy, it’s possible that the cover of Chapter 571 was a hint predicting the existence of the Human-Human Fruit (Model: Nika).

Luffy was looking at Nika

In the early Fish-Man Island arc, the “five Medaka mermaid quintuplets” appeared.

From right to left, they were named Ichika (first daughter) -> Nika (second daughter) -> Sanka (third daughter) -> Yonka (fourth daughter) -> Yonka 2 (fifth daughter).

Indeed, a second daughter named Nika appeared. But for some reason, the fifth daughter wasn’t named Goka.

Looking at the cover of Volume 62, where these Medaka mermaids appear, you can see Luffy looking in the direction of “Nika.”

This interpretation might seem far-fetched, but the fact that the fifth daughter wasn’t named “Goka” seems to hold a key.

As mentioned earlier, “Nika” represents the number five in Japanese kanji. Thus, Luffy represented the character five, and that’s why the fifth daughter couldn’t be named Goka.

Hence, the situation where “Luffy (5) was looking at Nika (2)” could be a hint that the “Gum-Gum Fruit (5) would change to Nika (2).”

However, since the existence of the Sun God Nika was clearly depicted only at the end of the Wano Country arc, it’s likely that at the time, it was still a vague idea.

Is the Sun God Nika the same as Joy Boy?

Next, let’s analyze the theory that Nika is equivalent to Joy Boy.

Joy Boy is a mysterious figure who lived during the Void Century. He left an apology letter to the mermaid princess of the time, and Gol D. Roger mentioned his name meaningfully when he reached Laugh Tale. Kozuki Oden also awaited the return of Joy Boy.

Joy Boy is a key character in the ONE PIECE story.

Nika is an onomatopoeia for smiling, and in kanji, it would be “笑” (laugh). On the other hand, Joy in Joy Boy‘s name translates to “喜” (joy) in Japanese. Both share a common theme of happiness.

In fact, Zunesha referred to the awakened Human-Human Fruit (Model: Nika) Luffy as “Joy Boy.”

It’s known that Joy Boy was a companion of Zunesha, making it easy to confuse the Sun God Nika with Joy Boy.

Joy Boy awakened the Nika Fruit 800 years ago?

However, they are likely not the same person.

If they were the same person, Luffy’s Devil Fruit would have been the Human-Human Fruit (Model: Joy Boy). Instead, Joy Boy was probably a man who awakened the Nika Fruit 800 years ago, similar to Luffy.

Thus, Zunesha’s words likely meant that “Luffy has awakened the Nika Fruit again, just like the Joy Boy of the past.”

Initially, it was assumed that Nika became Joy Boy 800 years ago, but it turned out to be the opposite.

On the contrary, the fact that the Nika Fruit existed 800 years ago means that the Sun God Nika existed before that. He is indeed an ancient figure.

In the world of ONE PIECE, history exists even before the Void Century, and it might be narrated through Nika’s perspective in the future.

Meaning of Being a Mythical Type：Was Nika Really Real?

On the other hand, was the Sun God Nika really real?

As mentioned earlier, the Five Elders and others have said that Nika was once revered as the “Sun God” who freed people from slavery and brought smiles.

Similarly, the Lunarian, who lived on the Red Line, were considered a race of gods. Their bodies could stretch like rubber, and when cloaked in flames, their physical strength was extraordinarily enhanced.

Therefore, it is highly likely that Nika’s race was also the Lunarian.

However, what is intriguing is the fact that Luffy’s Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika is categorized as a Mythical Zoan type.

Needless to say, the Mythical Zoan types, starting with Sengoku’s Buddha, generally include animals that do not exist in this world.

For example, the phoenix of Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates and the Nine-Tailed Fox of Catarina Devon from the Blackbeard Pirates are not real even in the world of ONE PIECE.

Therefore, there is no guarantee that the mythical god Nika “actually existed.”

Was Nika’s race an “albino Lunarian”?

However, even though Kaidou with his Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon was also a Mythical Zoan type, Vegapunk created many dragons on Punk Hazard Island.

Especially since Kozuki Momonosuke had the same dragon ability, it cannot be said definitively that “Mythical Zoan = non-existent.”

In fact, Blackbeard (Marshall D. Teach)‘s Devil Fruit is said to be a Cerberus, and a Cerberus zombie also appeared in Thriller Bark. It seems that Mythical Zoan does not necessarily equate to creatures from fictional worlds.

Even so, as Big Mum once mentioned that they were extinct, it would be more accurate to describe Nika’s race as an Ancient Zoan type if they were Lunarian.

So, can it be concluded that Nika was confirmed to be a Lunarian…?

However, since Luffy’s Gear 5 form was pure white, it can be predicted that Nika’s race might have been an albino Lunarian (a congenital disorder affecting melanin pigments).

Melanin pigments absorb the ultraviolet rays from sunlight. Albinos have issues with these pigments and cannot absorb ultraviolet rays, turning their skin completely white. This connection to the sun suggests a possible link to Nika.

On the other hand, as mentioned earlier, it seems dubious to conclude that Nika was “Luffy’s ancestor.” This is because the bodies of the Family of D do not stretch like rubber.

Therefore, in terms of lineage, Nika’s race would be the Lunarian, while Luffy and Joy Boy‘s race would be the Family of D. The Family of D can be positioned as “a royal family burdened with destiny.”

Thus, it seems plausible that Luffy’s ancestor was more likely Joy Boy (the previous wielder of the awakened Nika fruit).

Was Nika inspired by the goddess Nike or Amaterasu?

The name of the Sun God Nika likely originates from the “Goddess Nike (Statue of Nike).” The phonetics are similar.

Nike is famous as the Goddess of Victory in Greek mythology.

The sports brand NIKE is also derived from Nike, and in sports, when one wins a match, a smile naturally breaks out.

From the perspective that Luffy had the Devil Fruit, it can be interpreted that the Nika fruit was the “ability to bring victory.”

The Statue of Nike generally has “wings,” and in the Skypiea arc, where the hint of Nika was first depicted, the residents also had wings.

Additionally, the Lunarian also had black wings, which further increases the likelihood that Nika’s race was related to them.

Considering the Sun God aspect, Japanese mythology has “Amaterasu Omikami.” Amaterasu Omikami is generally considered a goddess, similar to Nike.

Therefore, the gender of the Sun God Nika might have been “female.”

Was Nika modeled after the monkey god Hanuman?

Next, let’s consider other models besides Nike. It seems that the Sun God Nika was also based on “a real mythological god.”

Next, we will examine the inspirations and models for the Sun God Nika.

The Sun God Nika is said to be modeled after Hanuman, a monkey god from Indian mythology.

The name of Joy Boy‘s companion, Zunesha, also comes from the Indian deity Ganesha, indicating that the two share a connection in terms of their inspirations.

Additionally, Hanuman is said to have “five faces.”

Specifically, he had four “monkey faces” and one “human face,” and Luffy calls the awakened state of the Nika fruit Gear 5.

This is because the Sun God Nika was inspired by Hanuman. Hence, Oda integrated the number 5 into various settings around Nika.

The “Drum” of Thunder Gods and Nika’s Drum of Liberation

Hanuman in mythology could change the size of his body at will, fly, and use lightning as a weapon.

These traits were often seen in Luffy’s Gear 5 special moves.

For instance, Luffy using lightning as a weapon makes him look like a “Thunder God.”

The Thunder God is famous for striking a “drum” on his back, and Luffy’s heartbeat sound when activating Gear 5 is described as the “Drum of Liberation.” Drum means the same as a drum.

And the Thunder God is also famous for stealing the “navels” of humans. On Skypiea, where the first hint of the Sun God Nika was depicted, the unique greeting was “Heso” (navel).

Therefore, it seems Nika’s character is based on various gods.

Mistaking “the sun” for a “fruit” and trying to eat it

Let’s delve deeper into the Hanuman inspiration theory.

Young Hanuman, hungry, saw the “red sun” and mistook it for a “ripe fruit” and tried to eat it.

In ONE PIECE, this can be translated as the sun being “Nika” and the fruit being the “Devil Fruit.” The story begins with a hungry Luffy stealing and eating the Devil Fruit that “Red-Haired” Shanks had.

Hanuman climbed to the heavens trying to eat the sun but ended up falling to his death. However, the wind god Vayu shared “strength, immortality, and wisdom,” reviving Hanuman even stronger.

This wind god, Vayu, is Hanuman’s “father.” Similarly, Luffy’s father is Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, who is said to control storms and winds.

Thus, Luffy (Nika) and Hanuman match even in terms of their parentage.

By the way, the exact origin of the name Hanuman is unknown, but in Indian mythology, it means “great hero” and “divine personality.”

In ONE PIECE, the hero is the protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. The divine personality is the Human-Human Fruit (Model: Sun God Nika).

From these considerations, it is clear that the Sun God Nika is based on Hanuman.