SUMMARY

Observation Haki’s existence was subtly foreshadowed through Enel’s Mantra.
Zoro’s connection to Wano was hinted at through his acquaintance with the Sunnachi cry, foreshadowing his ancestry.

Ace’s death was foreshadowed in chapter #520 by Luffy holding the Ace of Spades card and a card with Brook on it. 

Eiichiro Oda, the brilliant creator of One Piece, is well known for his masterful use of foreshadowing. Many times a minor detail mentioned in one chapter will be revealed to be majorly important hundreds of chapters later. These callbacks are part of what makes One Piece such a joy to read. Even the movies aren’t immune to this, as One Piece: RED recently foreshadowed a big manga twist.

What makes these instances of foreshadowing so enjoyable is how they make One Piece‘s world feel more realistic. The various major players and political machinations of One Piece‘s world don’t just stop because the Straw Hats are doing things that aren’t directly related to them, just like events in the real world. Unlike in the real world, however, these instances of foreshadowing all form a cohesive and satisfying whole that forms the backbone of Oda’s epic endgame for One Piece. Of all the subtle details Oda has foreshadowed, some are still the best.

16The Existence of Observation Haki

Foreshadowed through Mantra on Skypiea

Since the timeskip, Haki has become the most crucial power in the series and can often even decide the victor of a battle. Look no further than the fight between Katakuri and Luffy where Katakuri’s advanced Future Sight nearly got the best of Luffy. That said, the Haki power system did not come out of nowhere and the existence of Observation Haki was foreshadowed as early as the Skypiea Arc, albeit under a different name.

The mysterious Mantra ability that granted Enel and his Priests omniscience was none other than plain old Observation Haki. At the time, it seemed as though Enel truly possessed some form of godly power, but even in retrospect, Enel is still likely among the best Observation Haki users in the series, with unmatched range and precision. This likely stems from him being the first Observation Haki user before the power system was properly established.

 

15Zoro’s Connection to Wano

Foreshadowed by Momonosuke’s use of “sunnachi”

Ever since Wano was first mentioned on Thriller Bark, fans had been itching to see the Straw Hats visit the nation. The fact that the island was the land of samurai further led fans to hope that Zoro would get to play a major role in the arc especially due to his striking resemblance to Ryuma. Zoro’s connection to Wano was first foreshadowed when Zoro claimed to recognize the “Sunnachi” cry while Momonosuke was training.

Zoro revealed that he had heard it from an old man in his village and thus poured in the various theories about Zoro’s ancestry and his possible ties to the Shimotsuki Clan. Oda later revealed that Zoro was indeed distantly related to the Daimyo of Ringo and a descendant of the Shimotsuki Clan, albeit in the SBS section. Still, it is interesting that this connection was foreshadowed through such a minor interaction with Momonosuke.

14Momonosuke and the Akazaya Samurai Being From the Past

Foreshadowed by Momonosuke’s mention of Gol D. Roger

One of the biggest plot twists of the Wano Arc was the revelation that Momonosuke, Kanjuro, Raizo, and Kinemon had travelled into the future from 20 years ago. The big reveal took place well into the Wano Arc when the Straw Hats discovered the old graves at Kuri and it was quite a shock to learn that time travel existed in One Piece.

The Akazaya and Momonosuke only showed one sign of being from the past until the big reveal, which is on Zou. When talking about Gol D. Roger and the fact that Oden had sailed with him, Momonosuke mentioned having met Roger, which should have been impossible given that Momonosuke was only eight years old and that Roger had been dead for well over 24 years. Despite this clear inconsistency the concept of time travel crossed the minds of very few making this yet another genius instance of foreshadowing in One Piece.

13Ace’s Death

Foreshadowed through the color spread of chapter #520

The death of Portgas D. Ace at Marineford is still one of the most impactful moments of the series, which has stuck with fans years later entirely due to how unexpected and shocking his demise was. No one expected Ace to die until the very last moment which together with Luffy’s reaction made the scene all the more heartbreaking.

Having said that, Ace’s death was foreshadowed a little over 20 chapters earlier in the color spread accompanying chapter #520. In the illustration, Luffy can be seen holding a deck of cards with the Ace of Spades at the top, a reference to Ace and his former pirate crew the Spade Pirates. However, what really seals the deal is the fact that Luffy is holding a card with Brook’s face on it in his other hand, signifying death. The expression on Luffy’s face is also eerily similar to the one he makes when Ace dies in his arms, making this one of the most chilling instances of foreshadowing in One Piece.

12The Existence of the D. Clan

Foreshadowed by Kureha on Drum Island

Even after a thousand chapters, the D clan remains just as veiled in mystery as when they were first introduced. While the significance of the D initial is first explicitly explored through Law’ss back story, its existence was actually foreshadowed back on Drum Island when Dr. Kureha first pointed out that Roger’s name was not Gold Roger, as many had assumed, but Gol D. Roger.

Dr. Kureha was also the first to mention the Will of D, implying that she knows much more about the secrets of the world of One Piece than she lets on. While more recent chapters have shed some more light on the D clan and their history, it is interesting that Oda might have planned this plotline of inherited will when Luffy still had half his crew.

11The Existence of the Tontatta Kingdom

Foreshadowed in Noland’s flashback

One Piece has a lot of strange races of people, from Giants to Fishmen but one that was introduced late in the series were the dwarves of the Tontatta Kingdom. However, although only showing up in Dressrosa, their existence was actually foreshadowed hundreds of chapters prior in Skypiea. In Noland and Kalgara’s flashback, when Noland returns home he is briefly seen telling a group of children about some dwarves he met on his adventures.

At the time, this seemed like a fun throwaway line, but later when the Tontattans are introduced it is revealed that they still remember and respect Noland just like the Shandians did. While this detail wasn’t as major as some of the others on this list, it still shows that Oda has a solid understanding of One Piece’s world and its people even before they become relevant to the plot.

10Luffy’s Grandfather

Foreshadowed by Aokiji’s mysterious debt mentioned on Long Ring Long Land

 

        Before Enies Lobby, not much was known about Luffy’s family outside of his brother Ace. The only hint readers had was a cryptic comment by the marine admiral Aokiji about a debt he owed Luffy’s grandfather. When Luffy and the Straw Hats first encountered Aokiji on Long Ring Long Land, he curiously mentioned that Luffy was just like his grandfather and mentioned the debt he owed.

However, after Enies Lobby, it was revealed that Luffy’s Grandfather is actually the vice-admiral Monkey D. Garp, who up until that point had only appeared in cover stories as a mentor to Koby and Helmeppo. Garp has become a very important character as One Piece went on, so it is cool that his unexpected relationship with Luffy was referenced before his official introduction.

Netflix’s live-action One Piece introduces Garp early in the East Blue Saga and reveals that he is Luffy’s grandfather as well. In an interview with Screen Rant Steven Maeda, the Executive Producer revealed this was done to keep the stakes up.

9The New Yonko

Foreshadowed on the cover of volume 25

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Not all of One Piece’s foreshadowing appears in the story itself. Volume 25 of the manga had a cover featuring four very important One Piece characters, Luffy, Blackbeard, Buggy, and Shanks. At the time, this seemed unremarkable, as each character was featured in the story itself around that time. But 20 years later, these characters became the four new Yonko after Big Mom and Kaido were taken out of the picture. This gives the cover a whole new dimension and proves that Oda plans out his character arcs incredibly far in advance.

7Silvers Rayleigh

Foreshadowed during Buggy’s flashback to how he got his devil fruit

 

        In a flashback to Buggy’s past in chapter 19, readers learn that he was once in the same crew as Shanks and they see a glimpse of another unnamed member of their crew with a distinctive design. It is revealed much later in the series that they were both part of Gol D. Roger’s crew in One Piece and this unnamed crew member turned out to be Silvers Rayleigh, one of Roger’s right-hand men and a majorly important character in his own right.

While he only became important hundreds of chapters later, this moment shows that even in the very early days of the series, Oda was establishing some of the characters who would become important later on.

6Big Mom Was Lola’s Mother

Foreshadowed when Lola shared her mother’s vivre card

At the end of Thriller Bark, Lola who became a new ally of the Straw Hat Pirates fighting against Moria gives them a vivre card of her mother, who she says is a famous pirate in the New World. At the time, this moment was mainly used as a segue into Luffy seeing Ace’s burning Vivre Card representing the danger he is in.

But Lola’s mother turned out to be the Yonko known as Big Mom, and her vivre card became a major plot point in Whole Cake Island. Given that One Piece had only just recently introduced the idea of the Yonko, this is yet another impressive level of foreshadowing that shows Oda planned out his major characters and their relationships well in advance.

5The Sun God Nika

Foreshadowed on Skypiea

 

    

    During the climactic fight of Wano, it is revealed that Luffy’s devil fruit isn’t actually the Gum Gum Fruit, but the Mythical Human Human Fruit Model: Nika, which gives him the powers of the sun god Nika. This twist may seem like it comes out of nowhere, but it was actually foreshadowed back in Skypiea.

This is where the sun god is first mentioned in a flashback to the ancient Shandians, but it also draws direct parallels between Nika and Luffy in One Piece. When Luffy disrupts Enel’s giant cloud of electricity, the sky opens up with him in the center as a Skypiean prays to let the sun shine. In addition, when Luffy dances at a bonfire later in the arc, his silhouette appears much like the silhouette of Nika displayed later.

4The Traitor in Wano

Foreshadowed by Kanjuro’s poor drawings

 

        One of the continuing plot threads throughout the Straw Hats’ adventures in the New World is assembling Momo’s retinue of Samurai to eventually return to Wano and overthrow the unjust rule of Kaido and Orochi. However, it is repeatedly implied that one of these retainers is a traitor as information about the rebellion is leaked to the Straw Hats’ enemies.

This traitor turns out to be the painter Kanjuro, but his duplicity is foreshadowed multiple times beforehand. The clearest example is Kanjuro being shown multiple times to be right-handed but uses his left hand to draw his living paintings implying that he is purposely misusing his ability. Kanjuro’s traitor reveal recontextualized these subtle moments and made the traitor’s identity seem obvious in retrospect, which is the hallmark of brilliant foreshadowing.

During the Zou Arc, Kanjuro draws a pink dragon called Ryunosuke to help the group make their way up the elephant which technically mocks Momonosuke and can be taken as another instance of foreshadowing.

3Sanji Being a Prince

Foreshadowed by Sanji’s alias on Alabasta

Sanji was one of the original Straw Hats from East Blue and despite having a backstory, in Whole Cake Island it was revealed that there was a lot more to him than fans thought. Sanji is actually a prince from the Vinsmoke family, a shocking twist that was hinted at repeatedly beforehand.

Sanji frequently used the alias Mr. Prince when the Straw Hats were fighting Baroque Works and in Jaya he reveals that he was originally from North Blue implying that there was more to his past than his backstory implied. In addition, his bounty poster was the only one of the Straw Hats to say he was only wanted alive instead of dead, implying that he was more important than he seemed.

2Sabo’s Existence

Foreshadowed by Ace’s arm tattoo

Sabo is a controversial character who is often seen as a lazy way for Oda to keep Ace in the story even after his death. But his existence was actually brilliantly foreshadowed in Ace’s character design. Ace’s arm tattoo has his name written in English with an S crossed out. This initially seems like Ace just misspelled his name, but it is actually meant to represent Sabo’s supposed death.

In addition, when Luffy thinks back to the cups he shared with Ace to signify their brotherly bond, the edge of a third cup is seen, implying that there is another character also taking part in the ceremony. Whether fans love or hate Sabo, there’s that Oda expertly foreshadowed his existence.

1Shanks’ Conqueror’s Haki

Foreshadowed against the Sea King

 

        One Piece introduced a new power system called Haki over 500 chapters into the series. This enabled Luffy and his crew to actually be able to fight Paramecia Devil Fruit users like Kizaru who would be untouchable otherwise. Despite being formally introduced into the series at such a late point, Haki was first used back in the very first chapter of the series. In order to save Luffy from a rampaging Sea King, Shanks uses his Conqueror’s Haki to scare it away.

Oda has the patience to foreshadow characters and plot points at the very beginning of the series and then wait hundreds of chapters to actually return to them, which is one of the reasons he is considered to be a master storyteller. A story as long as One Piece needs good foreshadowing to keep readers invested. Luckily, as this list shows, One Piece has some of the best foreshadowings in any manga, which is one of the reasons it is so beloved.