Eiichiro Oda is known for taking inspiration from real-life entertainers and celebrities for the characters in One Piece. He has said publicly that many of the personalities are based on real-life public officials and celebrities from throughout the world. While some characters exhibit merely passing resemblances to their real-life counterparts, others have strikingly comparable clothes and accessories.
Among them, many of One Piece‘s characters have appearances based on genuine pop culture celebrities, but few of these inspirations are as startling as the likely basis for the villain Enel. Fans have already speculated that Enel looks almost exactly like American Rapper Eminem, and Oda’s love for the musician proves the point.
Enel’s Character Design and Appearance in One Piece
Enel is the previous tyrant or God of Skypiea. Enel devastated his nation with Goro Goro no Mi’s powers and then led his troops to take over Skypiea. Enel is the major antagonist of the Skypiea Arc, and hence of the entire Sky Island Saga. Enel is a tall, 266cm (8’9″) pale-skinned man with a well-toned but rather wiry build. He has a thin face and a relaxed, half-lidded look that is enhanced by a serene, confident smile. He has blond hair that is always tucked beneath a tight-fitting white skullcap.
Enel’s earlobes, which are weighed down by gold earrings with diamond-shaped pendants, stretch to his chest, like images of Buddhas. A big, grey ring is put centrally into his shoulder blades and four wooden shime-daiko drums based on the drum ring linked with the Japanese thunder deity Raijin are fastened to it.
Oda has stated that he has been a fan of Eminem and the character creation of Enel fits perfectly with the timeline of Eminem’s peak years in his career. These points make the fact of Eminem being the inspiration behind Enel more reliable.
Eminem is the Inspiration Behind Skypiea Antagonist Enel
When comparing Enel and Eminem side by side, it is plain to observe the visual resemblance between the two figures, making this quite likely. Oda once stated in an interview that he is a fan of Eminem. Given that Skypiea was written in the early 2000s, when Eminem was at his peak, Enel was probably based on him. If Oda did truly model Enel after Eminem, it would demonstrate how diverse the series’ visual influences are.
Oda has never directly stated that Enel is based on Eminem, but given their similarities, it is quite plausible. Also, his love for including references and inspiration from real-world and real-life celebrities adds another layer of confirmation to the fact that Enel is most probably based on the American Rapper.
