Eiichiro Oda’s first Monkey D. Luffy drawing went viral.

SUMMARY

One Piece has been going on for 25 years and there is not a single moment where Eiichiro Oda’s creation has left them bored.

Recently, the mangaka published the initial design of Monkey D. Luffy and fans could immediately spot the difference between past and present Luffy.
Eiichiro Oda initially planned Luffy to wield a sword and there were several other iconic features that were missing from his initial Luffy design.

One Piece has always been one of the most popular anime. For the last 25 years, Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus has been ruling over the Shonen genre. Monkey D. Luffy’s journey to become the King of Pirates has taken him through several perilous journeys and the fans have always been a part of it. Everyone knows Luffy as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika user and the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Due to the mangaka’s habit of creating mysteries, fans often make their own theories. But recently, Eiichiro Oda revealed the original design of Monkey D. Luffy and the fans were not ready for it. Like most creators, Oda sensei had initially thought of different designs for Luffy. When the initial design was published online, fans quickly noticed a major difference between the two versions.

Monkey D. Luffy Was Planned To Wield A Sword

Monkey D. Luffy (Credit: Toei Animation)
Eiichiro Oda’s initial design for Monkey D. Luffy was published online, and the fans went head over heels for it. They were surprised to see that their protagonist had a separate version other than his rubber-man version. But they were quick to notice one massive difference between the initial and present Monkey D. Luffy. Eiichiro Oda’s original design made him wield a sword. The drawing had a long hilt featured at his back. It resembled Roronoa Zoro.

It could mean that he was initially planned to be a swordsman. Other than that, he also appeared to be lean and had a half-sleeve shirt instead of being sleeveless. The iconic cut below his left eye was also missing. His missing scar could signify that he was such a great swordsman that no other sword ever reached him. Being a swordsman, the Straw Hat could restrict his views, so it was also missing from the drawing.
Luffy finding the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika (Credit: Toei Animation)
Even though the drawing was made more than 27 years ago, it is still significant to the fans. Luffy being a swordsman raises the question of whether Roronoa Zoro was added after changing the initial design. Otherwise, the Straw Hat Pirates would have two swordsmen. He used only one sword, and it was pretty long. But thankfully, the sword was changed to Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and fans got to experience one of the best anime protagonists.

One Piece Manga Is Heading To Its End

Eiichiro Oda knows how to market his magnum opus. With the One Piece manga nearing its end, he decided to play with nostalgia by releasing Monkey D. Luffy’s original design. One Piece always maintained its popularity through various mysteries and foreshadows. The Egghead Island arc featured several mysteries, including Bartholomew Kuma and Vegapunk’s backstory.
Gorosei vs Monkey D. Luffy (Credit: Viz Media)
Currently, Monkey D. Luffy is busy fighting the Gorosei in their awakened Devil Fruit form. They came to the Egghead Island to prevent Vegapunk from revealing their secrets to the entire world. The story has taken a massive plot twist, and the arc is in its climax. Eiichiro Oda promised to draw the biggest war in One Piece history before the conclusion of his magnum opus.

With so much going around in the One Piece universe, the fans cannot help but fathom how swordsman Luffy would tackle the situation. Even though it is something that cannot happen, the fans would not mind a filler like One Piece episode 907. The episode could showcase Luffy being a swordsman, just like episode 907 showcased Monkey D. Garp being a pirate.