From the existence of Joy Boy to the mystery of the Void Century and the Ancient Kingdom to what we will talk about today, Sun God Nika, the One Piece series is full of mystery. As one of the longest-running mysteries in the series, it has had a lot of theories over the years.
Since the beginning, One Piece has been known for introducing new mysteries to its audience. From the ever-mysterious Shanks to what the One Piece treasure really is, Eiichiro Oda continuously introduced new ways to make his audience question everything and keep them guessing about what comes next. Even after over 1000 chapters, we still don’t know much about the several mysteries introduced in the series or what the One Piece treasure truly is, but we are getting closer.
Just like the One Piece treasure itself, the existence of Sun God Nika has brought up a lot of questions in the fandom, but not much happened for many years in the series to fuel more speculation, that was until the ending of the Wano Kingdom arc, where Oda-sensei dropped so many information bombs.
Who is Sun God Nika in One Piece?
The Legend of Sun God Nika is long, but let’s summarise the entire thing! Nika was a God worshipped in the One Piece world similar to ours in real life. This God was worshipped in ancient times by slaves, who believed that he would appear and save them from their suffering.
He was the embodiment of freedom and free will, so, of course, enslaved people would worship Nika.
It was unknown if this God actually ever existed before or was manifested in some shape or form similar to how Sengoku can turn into the mythical God Buddha. However, Dr. Vegapunk later confirmed the existence of ancient records that mention Sun God Nika.
During the Wano Country arc, Who’s-Who, a former member of CP9 and current member of the Beast Pirates, stated that he was once imprisoned for failing to safeguard the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which was later revealed to be a Mythical Zoan-type devil fruit called the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
He had heard about the legend of Nika from a prison guard when he was imprisoned and then started praying to this God to end his suffering. Later, Who’s-Who discovered that the prison guard had gone missing, which made him realize that the information about Nika was not to be shared, and the World Government might have done something to the guard for sharing it with others.
During his fight with Jinbe, Who’s-Who was asked by the Fishman about the legend. The Fishmen are a race subjected to slavery, so Who’s-Who was curious about their God. But he didn’t really get any information out of Jinbe regarding this.
The existence of the Sun God Nika was mentioned earlier in the story during the Skypiea arc as well, as the residents of the sky island worshipped the Sun God; however, it wasn’t explicitly stated that it was Nika they worshipped.
We first saw a silhouette of Sun God Nika in chapter 1018 of One Piece manga and in episode 1040 in the One Piece anime! But that’s it, as we have no idea of what Nika looks like apart from the silhouette of his body.
Is Luffy Sun God Nika? Nika’s Connection to Luffy
Who’s-Who spoke about the legend of Sun God Nika, referring to a heroic and kind individual who freed people from slavery.
According to the same legend, this God would one day return to free slaves from the cruelty of their oppressors and surroundings and put a smile on their faces. Nika could move in any way he could imagine, with a rubber-like body, similar to Luffy in every way imaginable.
As fans have seen throughout the series, Luffy has an intense and great sense of justice and tries to help anyone in need – no matter who they are. He has helped countless people on his journey, from each of the Straw Hats to entire kingdoms like Alabasta and Dressrosa.
It also seems like he has inherited the title of Joy Boy, meaning that Luffy might just be destined to rescue those shackled by the World Government.
Though Nika’s original legend is quite specific, its concept can be used to explain Luffy and his abilities throughout the series. Nika was there to free the enslaved people, symbolizing freedom and free will. Luffy has removed the shackles of many characters in the series, both figuratively and literally, proving once again that he is connected to this legend.
As well as that, his devil fruit itself is also heavily connected to this God as it’s named after Nika!
Dr. Vegapunk confirmed the existence of Nika in ancient times, and as such, his legend was set to return. It returned as Luffy’s devil fruit, the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. With Vegapunk’s explanation of devil fruits, the devil fruits are created from the dreams of others in the past, from creating fire out of nowhere to the very concept of freedom.
The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, once known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi, was clearly created by the dream of freedom and the legend of Nika himself. The World Government even successfully hid the true nature of this devil fruit by naming it the Gomu Gomu no Mi instead so that the world wouldn’t go after it, and its existence would be forgotten.
When Luffy awakened his devil fruit after succumbing to Kaido’s attacks, he finally embodied Nika. Like how Sengoku became Buddha via his devil fruit, Luffy became Nika. His body transformed into a similar form to the original panel of Nika, floating in front of the moon, and the very concept of freedom became Luffy’s power.
In Gear 5 form, Luffy can do anything he wants, only limited by his imagination. He has freed himself from any and all shackles, now having the literal power to do it to others as well.
Are Sun God Nika and Joy Boy The Same?
Sun God Nika and Joy Boy are most definitely related in some way, but it hasn’t been confirmed that they are the same person. From fan speculation over the last year or so, it seems like Joy Boy was the previous user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
Joy Boy was a man who brought freedom to others in the same way Nika did, according to theory at least. But it’s hard to connect the two properly as we don’t have much information on Joy Boy or Nika.
Sun God Nika and Joy Boy may be different people, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t connected. Just like how Luffy was referred to as Joy Boy by Kaido and has the Nika fruit, the previous Joy Boy was most likely the same. These two are heavily connected but might not necessarily be the same person.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sun God Nika is a god worshipped in the One Piece world, symbolizing freedom and free will. The legend of Nika has been mentioned throughout the series, and it was revealed in the Wano Kingdom arc that the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, also known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi, is connected to Nika.
Luffy, the main protagonist, embodies the qualities of Nika through his actions and devil fruit power. The mysteries surrounding Sun God Nika and Joy Boy continue to intrigue fans, and future developments in the One Piece series may shed more light on their relationship and significance.
Is Sun God Nika connected to the One Piece in the same way Joy Boy is? Who was the last user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika? What else can Luffy do with this power? So many questions need to be answered in the final saga of One Piece, and hopefully, Eiichiro Oda will answer them all!
Also Read: All One Piece Arcs in Order
