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From Wikipedia: King Jayabaya was known for his just and prosperous rule, and reputed to have been an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu. King Jayabaya epitomized the archetypal Ratu Adil: the just king reborn in the dark age of suffering "Jaman Edan" (Madness Era) to restore the Jaman Raharja: social justice, order, and harmony in the world
If Oda really modeled Joy Boy after this king, wouldn't JB then be exactly this righteous character we think he is, and NOT a subversion of our expectations?
If Oda really modeled Joy Boy after this king, wouldn't JB then be exactly this righteous character we think he is, and NOT a subversion of our expectations?
If its accurate, I emphasise.
Oda may play it straight and have Luffy be just like that king instead as you said there.
There's a Joyboy in African/Carribean culture/mythology or whatever too and they're associated with drumming as well. I just remembered.
This is very cliche and safe writing though, very predictable and too heavy on the feel good. It's getting sickly, like too sweet if Oda indulges this completely.
Luffy has already been a hero, saved lives, countries/kingdoms and brought immense joy to so many people and inspired so much hope, assertiveness, rebellion etc so the whole him being Joyboy now is too on the nose, too blatant for me.
Symbolically he already was Joyboy all along but now he was too literally and I hate that.
At least maybe Joyboy a more nuanced, thought provoking, controversial and thus well intentioned extremist character or something. And have Luffy be his more improved, thus complete successor or something idk.
But I don't want Luffy to become super edgy either. Just shades of gray/darker like Roger, Whitebeard, Shanks, Rayleigh etc.
Luffy saying he doesn't want to be a hero and not acting like one is already great yo be fair, he's more honest/pure with himself and his ambitions/desires.
Idk where is going with all of this. But I don't want Luffy to be this completely perfect, Holy, Jesus-like figure to the end either. I do want to see some edge, some complexity but not too much either ofc.
Honestly I'm even glad Oda actually had the balls to make him blast Kaido into Wanos underground and thus into the man below, saying he's going to send him to hell and thus he has metaphorically at least. Also the implication that Kaido is meant to be dead apparently although im skeptical of that but if he is, it means Luffy just caused his death indirectly at least if not deliberately/directly which I really respect too. It's about damn time. Major villains shouldn't be safe from death either.
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