So everyone is just copying some old legend and claims it as their own work. Great. Isn't this called plagiarism?
This is why I get angry on Oda being hailed as the God of originality. Hes not truly original in the typical/literal sense and even that is impossible especially these days too BUT its what he does with existing concepts and influences that is so original, so creative. I actually really aspire to and admire that, I love taking preconceived things and warping them, redefining them, doing different things with them, discovering something new through them, experimenting basically.
Oda is an absolute tour de force of creativity and imagination but a lot of the fanbase seems to think he invented so many preestablished things and ignore the immense references he uses for his work.
I could show so much in regards to Fujitora alone and the potential of his character due to it too.
Oda takes a TON of inspiration from a movie called The Adventures of Baron Munchasen:
Oda is blatantly influenced by stuff like:
Journey To The West as I just said before ofc, Popeye, The Wizard of Oz, Asterix and Obelix, Aesops Fables/Fairy Tales, Disney especially Alice in Wonderland like with WCI, Nightmare Before Christmas (one of his fave films I think) for Thriller Bark and Kuragaina Island, Vicky the Viking (as he said himself), Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and other classic toons as Gear 5th proved especially, Johnny Bravo with Franky even but also Ace Ventura and Jim Carrey generally, The Mask for G5 Luffy too especially and so on.
I thought of some other series too but my brain short circuited again and I forgot them, damn random memory wipes lmfao.