One of Goda’s most underappreciated aspects as a writer is his ability to write characters absolutely dripping with complexity and nuance.
In an industry of characters who are little more than tropes of already existing characters from older, more popular series, Goda’s characters truly stand out as the most unique and memorable. And one of the most nuanced characters introduced into modern One Piece was none other than Admiral Ryokugyu, also known as Aramaki.
At first glance, Aramaki appears to be a most intriguing character indeed. However upon closer inspection, I have discovered that there is far more than meets the eye to this most fascinating of characters.
Let us now delve deep into the mind of Goda and explore one of his most impeccable creations to date.
Immediately Aramaki is introduced as a sympathetic character highly concerned with the lives and wellbeing of others.
“GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!” - In spite of the fact that Queen is a member of an enemy faction, Aramaki calmly warns Queen of the dangers of overexerting his wounded body after his life or death battle with Vinesmoke Sanji, demonstrating respect even for his enemies.
“THE NAVY DOESN’T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO WASTE ON THE MESS THAT YOU’VE LEFT US!!” - The pressure of leadership are immense indeed. Even as a newcomer to the military under the World Military Draft, Aramaki still recognizes his responsibility in ensuring the wellbeing of his subordinates, showing a remarkable level of kindness and concern for the Marines beneath him.
“THAT BOOZE WASN’T ANYTHING SPECIAL…” - It is remarkable that even under the current context, where Aramaki’s finds himself surrounded by enemies, that Oda still finds time to establish Aramaki as a skilled and experienced Barrista, educated in the intricacies and subtleties of alcohol preparation.
“BRING A WARSHIP OVER!!” - Already Aramaki is cool under pressure, calmly evaluating the logistics of the mission he shall henceforth undertake.
Despite the fact that the Pirate Mink Ninja Samurai Alliance has caused incalculable trouble for the Marines by defeating two of the mighty Yonko, Aramaki is ecstatic to see the youngsters enjoying the spoils of victory.
This is where Aramaki’s character truly takes a turn for the Shakespearean. Through Aramaki, Goda gives us an incredibly nuanced thesis on the nature of geopolitics and the position of autocracy with respect to less developed independent nations.
Interestingly, Aramaki seems to be concerned for the wellbeing of the Samurai, and we will see his concern for them climax later in this analysis. “DON’T BLAME ME FOR IT!!” Aramaki is stating that he may not necessarily approve of the World Government’s approach to interaction with independent nations like Wano Kuni on a political or moral level. Through Aramaki’s disassociation with the World Government’s policies and practices, we begin to see the facade that Aramaki has built up around himself as an overpowering enemy of the people of Wano collapsing.
We see this facade continue to break down as the interaction continues.
“YOU’RE IN MY WAY!!” - In other words, “please move, young Shogun of Wano, I do not wish to harm you in my attempt to capture the criminals who have barricaded themselves into the Flower Capital!”
We even see after Aramaki has harmlessly restrained his opponents, he invites them to bring out Straw Hat Luffy so that he can claim his life without subjecting the people of Wano to any more suffering or violence.
We even see that Aramaki has grown to respect young Momonosuke over the course of their fight:
Kaido was a brutal authoritarian and an extreme tyrant. When Aramaki calls him a “pitiful replacement for Kaido” he is complementing the young Momonosuke’s far more liberal policies with regards to governance than the tyrant Kaido, praising the young lord’s anti-slavery and anti-forced labor policy preferences.
And this is where Aramaki’s character arc becomes full circle, as Aramaki uses himself as a human shield to defend the citizens of Wano from the overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki of Red Haired Shanks. By utilizing the Photosynthetic aspect of his Forest-based Logia Devil’s Fruit, Aramaki is able to create a type of Conqueror’s Haki photosynthesis, or “CoCkosynthesis” if you will, sucking all of Red Haired Shanks’s massive CoCk Haki into his body to heroically defend the denizens of the Wano Kuni.
And finally, Aramaki’s subversive character arc comes full circle
As he agrees to leave Wano under the condition that Red Haired Shanks leave as well, successfully saving the Wano Kuni from being conquered by one of the Celestial Dragons’s “Gods’ Knights.”
In a mere three chapters, Goda was successfully able to write a character arc in which Aramaki arrives in Wano as an overwhelmingly powerful force bent on taking the life of our hero Straw Hat Luffy, into a valiant hero who sacrifices himself to defend the nation of Wano Kuni from the minions of Imu, becoming a rebel in the process.
Truly only Goda could have executed such nuance and complexity.
In an industry of characters who are little more than tropes of already existing characters from older, more popular series, Goda’s characters truly stand out as the most unique and memorable. And one of the most nuanced characters introduced into modern One Piece was none other than Admiral Ryokugyu, also known as Aramaki.
At first glance, Aramaki appears to be a most intriguing character indeed. However upon closer inspection, I have discovered that there is far more than meets the eye to this most fascinating of characters.
Let us now delve deep into the mind of Goda and explore one of his most impeccable creations to date.
Immediately Aramaki is introduced as a sympathetic character highly concerned with the lives and wellbeing of others.
“GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!” - In spite of the fact that Queen is a member of an enemy faction, Aramaki calmly warns Queen of the dangers of overexerting his wounded body after his life or death battle with Vinesmoke Sanji, demonstrating respect even for his enemies.
“THE NAVY DOESN’T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO WASTE ON THE MESS THAT YOU’VE LEFT US!!” - The pressure of leadership are immense indeed. Even as a newcomer to the military under the World Military Draft, Aramaki still recognizes his responsibility in ensuring the wellbeing of his subordinates, showing a remarkable level of kindness and concern for the Marines beneath him.
“THAT BOOZE WASN’T ANYTHING SPECIAL…” - It is remarkable that even under the current context, where Aramaki’s finds himself surrounded by enemies, that Oda still finds time to establish Aramaki as a skilled and experienced Barrista, educated in the intricacies and subtleties of alcohol preparation.
“BRING A WARSHIP OVER!!” - Already Aramaki is cool under pressure, calmly evaluating the logistics of the mission he shall henceforth undertake.
Despite the fact that the Pirate Mink Ninja Samurai Alliance has caused incalculable trouble for the Marines by defeating two of the mighty Yonko, Aramaki is ecstatic to see the youngsters enjoying the spoils of victory.
This is where Aramaki’s character truly takes a turn for the Shakespearean. Through Aramaki, Goda gives us an incredibly nuanced thesis on the nature of geopolitics and the position of autocracy with respect to less developed independent nations.
Interestingly, Aramaki seems to be concerned for the wellbeing of the Samurai, and we will see his concern for them climax later in this analysis. “DON’T BLAME ME FOR IT!!” Aramaki is stating that he may not necessarily approve of the World Government’s approach to interaction with independent nations like Wano Kuni on a political or moral level. Through Aramaki’s disassociation with the World Government’s policies and practices, we begin to see the facade that Aramaki has built up around himself as an overpowering enemy of the people of Wano collapsing.
We see this facade continue to break down as the interaction continues.
“YOU’RE IN MY WAY!!” - In other words, “please move, young Shogun of Wano, I do not wish to harm you in my attempt to capture the criminals who have barricaded themselves into the Flower Capital!”
We even see after Aramaki has harmlessly restrained his opponents, he invites them to bring out Straw Hat Luffy so that he can claim his life without subjecting the people of Wano to any more suffering or violence.
We even see that Aramaki has grown to respect young Momonosuke over the course of their fight:
Kaido was a brutal authoritarian and an extreme tyrant. When Aramaki calls him a “pitiful replacement for Kaido” he is complementing the young Momonosuke’s far more liberal policies with regards to governance than the tyrant Kaido, praising the young lord’s anti-slavery and anti-forced labor policy preferences.
And this is where Aramaki’s character arc becomes full circle, as Aramaki uses himself as a human shield to defend the citizens of Wano from the overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki of Red Haired Shanks. By utilizing the Photosynthetic aspect of his Forest-based Logia Devil’s Fruit, Aramaki is able to create a type of Conqueror’s Haki photosynthesis, or “CoCkosynthesis” if you will, sucking all of Red Haired Shanks’s massive CoCk Haki into his body to heroically defend the denizens of the Wano Kuni.
And finally, Aramaki’s subversive character arc comes full circle
As he agrees to leave Wano under the condition that Red Haired Shanks leave as well, successfully saving the Wano Kuni from being conquered by one of the Celestial Dragons’s “Gods’ Knights.”
In a mere three chapters, Goda was successfully able to write a character arc in which Aramaki arrives in Wano as an overwhelmingly powerful force bent on taking the life of our hero Straw Hat Luffy, into a valiant hero who sacrifices himself to defend the nation of Wano Kuni from the minions of Imu, becoming a rebel in the process.
Truly only Goda could have executed such nuance and complexity.
So Peak