Tag Archives: monster design

One Piece, the Five Elders, and Going Beyond Expectations

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I’ve been keeping up with the One Piece manga for many years now, though I don’t write about it all too often because I don’t feel the need. When the subject is one of the most gargantuan works of fiction in history, it’s not hard to find opinions, articles, podcasts, and videos discussing—or even dedicated entirely to—One Piece. However, the events of recent chapters, particularly the actions of certain characters, have been so significant that I feel compelled to share my thoughts.

Naturally, I’m going to be talking about HUGE SPOILERS for the One Piece manga. To the anime viewers and anyone else who doesn’t want the surprise ruined: turn away now.

The milestone in question is the long awaited arrival of the Five Elders into the main story and the full debut of their monstrous alternate forms. The impact they have is almost unparalleled—something that only a select few series can ever accomplish because they lack the longevity. The only one that springs to mind aside from One Piece is Detective Conan, whose main bad guy is still shrouded in mystery even after some major revelations.

In action manga, especially the shounen battle genre, villains come in many forms and can often be among the most exciting and interesting characters: minor nuisances, archenemies, rivals, erstwhile allies, etc. But one area that can make or break a battle manga is the appearance of a major antagonist, especially one that has been built up in the background. Freeza in Dragon Ball is an iconic example of this being done well, from the first mentions of him, to his initial reveal, and then to Freeza’s many transformations. The span of Freeza’s debut to his true form was a little over a year, or 58 chapters. The anime stretched it out even longer, as it was wont to do.

In contrast, the Five Elders in One Piece first showed up in 2002, and their descent onto Egghead Island happened this year in 2024. That’s 22 years, and over 860 chapters—enough time for infants to grow into full-fledged adults. And what’s even more astounding is that the Elders actually lived up to literal decades of anticipation!

On a very basic level, part of the reason the Five Elders are worthy of the hype is their physical appearance. They are legitimately menacing and bizarre in a way that none of the most dangerous and freakiest of Luffy’s foes thus far can match. All five are based on demons and mythological creatures, and they exhibit a new level of uncanny. Moreover, their powers are such that merely gazing upon them knocks the average soldier unconscious, and even Luffy’s new “Sun God Nika” form can only stymie them temporarily. In other words, the Elders look and feel like unprecedented threats to the Straw Hat Pirates.

Beyond the artistry in their designs, the weightiness also comes from how these monstrous forms have been mostly kept under wraps for so many years. Aside from an earlier hint when Sabo infiltrated their domain (which showed the Elders’ silhouettes transforming), it wasn’t even clear that they were physically strong in their own right. After all, as the heads of the World Government, it could easily be the case that they were just a group of wizened old men who rule through intellect, hegemonic inertia, and political influence. The fact that they’re actually capable of outclassing nearly every other character in One Piece is both a great twist and a satisfying fulfillment of the core of shounen battle manga. Why wouldn’t the literal leaders of the world also be the biggest badasses around?

The Five Elders also now open up even more speculation:

Why are they able to regenerate from any damage, and is there a catch that might just be their Achilles’s heel? And why are the Giant Pirates able to hold their own against the Elders?

Their names are references to five of the planets in the Solar System: Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Saint Marcus Mars, Saint Topman Warcury, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter. Three of the other planets have references in the Ancient Weapons: Poseidon, Uranus, and Pluton (remember that this series began before Pluto was officially redesignated to a dwarf planet). What is their relationship, and could the Ancient Weapons somehow be key to defeating them? The two Weapons we know about in detail are associated with the sea—Poseidon is a mermaid who can control the massive Neptunians, and Pluton is the greatest battleship in history—so might the Five Elders be vulnerable to water in a way similar to Devil Fruit users? And could their distant-yet-absolute dominion over the world of One Piece have to do with a profound fear of the sea?

And what of their true leader, Imu? How can beings as powerful as the Five Elders be subservient to this individual? 

One Piece is currently on a brief hiatus. This might be for the best—not just for the author, Oda, but for us readers. Maybe we need this breather before things get even more unpredictable.

Monster Design Talk Starring the Hiruken Emperor

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When it comes to monster designs, I follow a philosophy of more disturbing = better monster, and I have specific ideas about what is the most effectively disturbing. The key is not to make something grotesque or to show off the monster’s capacity for violence and destruction but instead to take what is  familiar and twist it into something unsettling. The goal is for the monster to exist on just the other side of the uncanny. As an example, let’s look at the Hiruken Emperor from Xam’d: Lost Memories.

Something familiar to all humans is the anatomy of the human body and the Hiruken Emperor’s is close to that of a human being. It has two legs, two arms, head and torso with organic musculature, but the stiff, unnatural movements combined with its expression-less face make it difficult to discern its intentions. When it’s a machine, this only makes sense. When it’s a living breathing creature, it becomes uncanny.

The Hiruken Emperor also takes the comforting idea of symmetry and distorts it into something jarring. Symmetry is a recurring theme in nature. Most things on this planet have some degree of symmetry, but in the case of the Hiruken Emperor the symmetry is too perfect, and the viewer is made painfully aware of that fact. With such perfect symmetry on such an organic creature, the comfort of natural symmetry is replaced by a fear of the alien.

Taking organs and placing them in unusual areas can further enhance the unsettling appearance of a monster. In the case of the Hiruken Emperor, the eyes are utilized in unusual ways. The Hiruken Emperor has four eyes, and none of them are where they should be. Two large ones are placed roughly at the shoulders, one equally large is above the head, and there is also a smaller one inside the head behind the white mask. It’s this unusual placement of the Hiruken Emperor’s eyes that really make it disturbing. Eyes are also an especially effective part of the body to move and rearrange because of how important they can be in human interaction. Human beings easily reveal their emotions through their eyes. However, the Hiruken Emperor’s eyes fail to exhibit emotion, and the blank, all-consuming stare of the Hiruken Emperor eats into your expectations.

A monster doesn’t have to resemble a human being or living creature in order to be a successful design. Manipulating how much the viewer relates to the monster will also influence the effectiveness of the monster. Making the viewer unsure of whether or not they can relate to the monster will make it even better.