One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda’s creative approach has kept the series at the top of the podium for almost 30 years, and most of the credit for this goes to his ability to take inspiration from real-life elements and use it to create the fantastical world of his own. And while some of these inspirations have been confirmed by the mangaka himself, others are just assumptions made by fans.
One such assumption that fans have made is about the Gorosei or the Five Elders, who have recently unleashed hell on Egghead Island in order to capture the Straw Hat Pirates. Many One Piece fans believe that just like other major characters, the enigmatic Five Elders have also been inspired by real-life individuals.
The assumptions also point out that, just like the Five Elders, their real-life inspirations are also world leaders who have contributed to bringing change in the world. If these assumptions about the Five Elders turn out to be true, they will not only prove Oda’s genius but also change the way fans look at the Five Elders.
The authoritative reputation of the Five Elders
Within the One Piece world, the Five Elders are considered the official supreme leaders of the World Government, and the only character above them is Imu. The political influence of the Five Elders is more than any Celestial Dragon, and they have total control over organizations like the Cipher Pol and the Marines. Their command is considered a top priority by these organizations.
The Five Elders are also the only known authority who have the power to grant the status of Celestial Dragon to a normal individual, which in itself speaks of their power. Marine soldiers below the rank of Commodore are not even allowed to look at them, and they can order a buster call whenever they feel necessary.
From naming the Devil Fruits to controlling the Seraphim, the Five Elders have complete control over almost every aspect of the One Piece world. Even the fleet admiral and the World Government Commander in Chief have to follow the orders of the Five Elders even if they do not agree with them at all.
Eiichiro Oda Might Have Based The Five Elders on Real-Life World Leaders
A YouTube channel by the name of Hawa Anime posted a video about the characters from One Piece who might have been inspired by real-life individuals. While these inspirations were all assumed by the YouTube creator, they were quite spot-on as they showed a lot of resemblance between the real-life characters and their One Piece parallels.
Among the list, the Five Elders were also present, and each Elder was inspired by a real-life world leader who had an impact on the world in one way or another. The first Elder, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, was inspired by German philosopher and economist Karl Marx. Saint Marcus Mars shared an uncanny resemblance with Japanese politician Itagaki Taisuke.
Saint Topman Warcury drew parallels with the former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro was presumably inspired by India’s Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and finally, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter was inspired by the 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
Although these are just assumptions, the parallels between the Five Elders and their real-life lookalike forces fans are something that only a genius like Eiichiro Oda can think about. If these assumptions turn out to be true, they will inspire a whole lot of new theories about the Five Elder’s role in the final battle of One Piece.
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