Speculations The Theme of Shifting Identities and Mix-Ups in Wano

[wordyworm]

Throughout OP, Oda uses tropes and themes about double identities and identity reveals:

• Mr. 0/Crocodile
• Joker/Doffy
• Buggy's dual identity as a bumbler who everyone thinks is super-competent
• Roger's crew living in secret
• People turned into toys in Dressrosa, etc.

But Wano really takes the prize for cases of mistaken identity, double identities, people living as someone else, people with shifting appearances, and people who are keeping secrets from others.

More than once, this arc has reminded me of parody murder mystery movies like Clue and Murder by Death, and other whodunits like Scooby Doo, Lupin, Murder on the Orient Express, and Poirot.

IDK which fellow oldish people can back me up here but mansion murder mystery parodies were semi-popular during the late 70s and 80s, and I wouldn't be surprised if Oda had seen and enjoyed the movie Clue. The basic idea is that everyone suspects everyone else and everyone is keeping a secret. Only one person knows the truth: the mastermind billionaire who has brought the characters together.

Oda is playing the role of the billionaire. He's just sitting back and laughing at his characters and at his audience while they/we grasp at straws, make accusations, pull off a villain's mask to find a second mask, etc. etc. He's purposefully confusing us with red herrings, Chekov's guns, and half-truths while he cackles manically in his studio. He's having a lot of fun with this arc!

Here are some examples of Wano's theme of shifting and hidden identities

• Zoro being named as the magistrate killer, when the magistrate was the actual murderer
• Drake's SWORD reveal
• The Scabbards' graves/Kin'emon being presented as a ghost
• The Scabbards + Hiyori, Momo, Otsuru, Yasu, Otama, and SHs living with different names and/or hiding their true identities
• "Kyoshiro" "killing" "Komurasaki"
• Kyoshiro being Denjiro, which was not just a name change but also a physical change, similar to the Scooby Doo mask trope
• Whatever is up with Shinobu. She was using kunai but then said she was afraid of sharp objects. She was also really bad at sneaking through the attic, which doesn't make sense. Who is she?
• Soba Mask and his invisibility properties
• Kanjuro being the traitor
• The Mane Mane no Mi and the old Kurozumi woman who used it (another physical change)
• Big Mom's amnesia and new identity as O-Lin
• Killer and his dual identity as Kamazo the Manslayer and then later the loss of his identity through the SMILE fruit.
• The SMILE fruits in general cause a physical change and steal people's emotions
• Onimaru, Kawamatsu, and Gyukimaru
• Onimaru being able to change his physical shape
• The identity of the Witching Hour Boy
• Kyoshiro thinking that Kin'emon is really clever for purposefully misleading the traitor, when actually Kin just misread the message.
• The Lola-Chiffon twin mix-up from the cover story

What else can be added? (Mafia players can probably find more examples than I can)

If Wano is truly following this theme, what could be the final big reveal? It must be that someone has been someone else all along. Zoro is a Shimotsuki? Kaido is a drawing? Law is in SWORD? Killer's official face reveal?! Whatever it is, I don't think Kanjuro was the big reveal. I would like to tie this into CP-0 being in Wano, but I'm not sure how. They do wear masks though, lol.

What do you think Oda has in store for this theme? Will we find out exactly what and who Kaido is?

 

[Finalbeta]

If it's a mask it's either Usopp or a CP0 member hehe.

Jokes aside I'm not sure if there will be any further reveal this arc, but I would like to have a better grasp over Kaido's underlings, the reason why such hierarchy even existed, it is unique in its kind.

Maybe that genius of Oda wanted to hint us that they represent some sort of natural elements and each one possesses a specific duty to accomplish during this arc. That's the reason why they are meant as calamities.

 

[Jack Newgate]

Wano outline follows traditional Japanese theatre Jo-Ha- Kyu structure. The theatre - a place where actors wear masks and take on roles and characters.

Beast Pirate organisation titles like All-Stars, HeadLiners, Tobbi Roppo (Flying Six) are terms used in Japanese Theatre