HIGHLIGHTS

Joy Boy’s real name might be linked to the D and could be a title, not a name.
Luffy became Joy Boy by inheriting the title and awakening the Nika Devil Fruit’s powers.
Monkey D. Pao from Oda’s prototype could be the former Joy Boy before Luffy, possibly revealing the character’s true identity in the future.

Joyboy remains to be one of the biggest mysteries in One Piece, and fans have only found out a few things about this mysterious individual from the Void Century. Of course, as One Piece continues to explore the Final Saga, fans will most definitely get to learn more about this pirate from long ago, but, at the same time, they also know that there is always a chance to find out information through other means, such as supplementary One Piece material or, old prototypes from Oda that he worked on long ago.

Very recently, fans got access to one such prototype, and one of the many characters that Oda ended up revealing might hold a key clue about the true identity of Joy Boy, his real name, along with much else.

Joy Boy’s Real Name

Joy Boy Was A Title, Not A Name

Joy Boy was introduced in One Piece after the timeskip. Nico Robin was the first person to be intrigued by the mystery of Joy Boy and this happened after she read the Poneglyph in the Sea Forest in Fishman Island. Then, towards the end of the arc, fans found out bits of information about Joy Boy, and how he promised the Mermaid Princess to help the Fishman to live on the surface with the other races of the world. Of course, Joy Boy failed to fulfill his promise, but he also promise to return much later, which fans know that he has through Luffy. However, while Joy Boy and Luffy are connected, there is a key distinction here. Luffy is not a reincarnation of Joy Boy.

Instead, Luffy has become Joy Boy and inherited the title from the previous Joy Boy. Joy Boy itself is not a name but a title and this has essentially been confirmed and One Piece already. Being Joy Boy is linked to having the powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, specifically in its awakened state. Many individuals have tried to become Joy Boy in One Piece. For instance, at one point, Kaido wanted to become Joy Boy and King believed that it was him. Later on in his life, Kaido himself figured out that he was not going to be Joy Boy but instead be defeated by Joy Boy when he does return. Similarly, many races and the One Piece world held a close connection to Joy Boy and knew of his return.

When Luffy awakened the powers of the Nika Devil Fruit, Zunesha immediately made a comment about Joy Boy’s return. Essentially, at this point in time, Luffy had officially become Joy Boy due to the Awakening of the Devil Fruit and the return of Gear 5, which essentially utilizes the Drums of Liberation. Luffy has become Joy Boy but he’s not a reincarnation. Instead, he’s someone who carries the same abilities as the previous Joy Boy.

This is very interesting and it tells the fans that the previous Joy Boy likely held a completely different name altogether. If one thinks of it, Joy Boy itself doesn’t seem like the real name of a person. It seems like a title given to a superhero-like individual or someone from a comic strip. The real name of Joy Boy has likely not been revealed and it is highly likely that it is tied to the D. Similarly, fans also know that Nika is not a real individual in the One Piece World either. It is a mythical god that might or might not have existed at some point in history. However, by eating the Nika Devil Fruit, one can become Nika and inherit the name of Nika. The same applies to Joy Boy as well. Joy Boy can return by someone else Awakening the power of Gear 5, but certainly it is not the name of any individual given to someone.

Oda’s Prototype And Monkey D. Pao

Monkey D. Pao Could Be The Former Joy Boy Before Luffy

Recently, Oda’s early works before One Piece were revealed publicly by Oda’s former editor, and fans were certainly very intriguing. Oda’s very first editor revealed unpublished works from him, titled Forward. These works were from when Oda was released 19 years of age, which is absolutely staggering, to say the least. As of now, these works are 30 years old, and even though they are so old, they actually might just hold the key to figuring out the name of Joy Boy.

The protagonist of Oda’s prototype is a young boy who goes by the name of Monkey D. Pao. He looks a lot like Luffy, and he even sports a bandana on his head which has a similar pattern to the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Clearly, Oda was heavily inspired by this when it comes to the design of the Devil Fruit that Luffy ended up eating. Fans also got to see early designs for all the characters, such as Nami, who, in this prototype, was named Rizel.

Clearly, the biggest talking point here is the character Monkey D. Pao. This individual could essentially be Joy Boy if Oda decides to incorporate him into the main story of One Piece. Of course, fans might just assume that since this is a prototype, it is an individual that Oda simply ended up making Luffy and that he isn’t going to use him in the future of One Piece. However, one only needs to look at Ryuma to know that this is actually a massive possibility. Oda created Ryuma with his Wanted One Shot before One Piece even became a thing. Ryuma was then incorporated into the main story by Oda, and just like Wanted, Forward was published around the same time.

This essentially means that like Ryuma, Pao could be incorporated into the story as well, and get revealed to be a character that existed long ago during the Void Century. Essentially, Monkey D. Pao could very well end up becoming Joy Boy of the old. Pao would, in this case, be the one who ended up consuming the powers of the Nika Fruit first and became the first pirate.

Will Pao Appear In One Piece In The Future?

Pao’s Might Show Up Later In The Final Sage Of One Piece

The chances for Pao to appear in the future in One Piece are very high. Pao could very well end up becoming the main character from the Void’s Century, that is, Joy Boy. Due to his cheerful nature, and his ability to laugh and spread joy to wherever he goes, he could have been given the title of Joy Boy. Japanese fans Of One Piece are already debating whether Paint could be the original Joy Boy, but of course, there is also an alternative name for Joy Boy as well.

As fans know, the name Binks holds quite a lot of significance in One Piece, and his song, called Bink’s Sake, essentially tells the story of hardships that were likely taken on by the people of the Ancient Kingdom.

Binks is also a very strong possibility for being the name of the first Joy Boy. In either case, fans will have to wait to see which way Oda goes, but, it is fun to theorize nonetheless.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1120, is set to be July 14, 2024.