One Piece fans speculate Luffy's Devil Fruit is related to Sun Wukong

One Piece theorists have noticed direct comparisons between Luffy and Sun Wukong, a character from "Journey to the West."

For those unaware, Journey to the West is a classic work of literature dating back to China in the 16th century. It's divided into multiple stories, but the most relevant one involves Sun Wukong. He was a legendary figure who rebelled against the very heavens themselves.

Naturally, One Piece theorists believe that Sun Wukong heavily influences Luffy. This is very important when trying to predict future events. Series creator Eiichiro Oda does take inspiration from classic myths, such as Kaido and the Shuten-dōji. Perhaps the same can be said of Luffy and Sun Wukong.

Disclaimer: This article will contain major spoilers from the manga.

---

One Piece seems to draw parallels between Luffy and Sun Wukong

Journey to the West clearly influences the One Piece series. For instance, Devil Fruits are directly analogous to Divine Peaches, granting special powers. Luffy and Sun Wukong have a lot in common, which is why so many theorists base their predictions on what happens in that story.

---

Who is Sun Wukong?

According to legend, Sun Wukong was a monkey who fought back against the heavens but not before the Buddha imprisoned him in a mountain. Five hundred years later, he went on a long journey to attain enlightenment.

The Monkey King was a very skilled fighter with supernatural abilities. He can transform into various animals, travel vast distances, and fight the greatest warriors. His story reads like a very ancient form of anime.

---

Luffy's similarities with Sun Wukong

If Sun Wukong's abilities sound familiar to One Piece fans, that's because it's similar to Luffy's Gear Fourth transformations. The Straw Hat often names his attacks after animals.

Of course, Luffy also shares a few more parallels with the Monkey King:

• Luffy rebelled against the gods (Celestial Dragons in Sabaody Archipelago)
• He went through imprisonment (Impel Down)
• He directly fought a Buddha (Sengoku in Marineford)

Luffy even comes from the legendary Monkey family. Oda also confirmed that Luffy would most likely resemble a monkey back in One Piece SBS Volume 20. The parallels are too strong to ignore.

---

Why this is relevant to One Piece

One Piece theorist Ohara just released a video discussing the similarities between Luffy and Sun Wukong. In Chapter 1037, the Five Elders revealed that a certain Devil Fruit was renamed to keep it a secret. Ohara speculates that they are referring to the Gomu Gomu no Mi.

A popular theory states that Luffy ate the Mythical Zoan fruit, modeled after Sun Wukong. The rubber properties would result from the Monkey King's shapeshifting abilities.

Whether or not this is true remains to be seen. Trying to predict Oda can be a difficult task, but that's what makes the series fun to read. It should be noted that Ohara based his theory mostly on the Momotarō story. However, Journey to the West does provide a solid foundation to make it work.

---

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.