Did One Piece go wrong with Figarland Garling's official colors? Explored

Saint Figarland Garling stands as a prominent figure in the final saga of One Piece. For decades, Garling has led the Holy Knights, a group of merciless fighters enforcing the World Government’s will, and his prestige reached new heights with his recent promotion to the Five Elders. Imu-sama appointed Garling as the new Warrior of Science and Defense, in place of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.

The patriarch of the Figarland Family, a powerful household of Celestial Dragons, Saint Garling fathered two twin sons with divergent paths. The eldest, Shamrock, followed in Garling’s footsteps, while the younger, Shanks, is the formidable pirate known to all One Piece fans as one of the Yonko and, more importantly, the man who inspired Monkey D. Luffy to begin his adventure.

Now Garling is an aged man, but his youthful appearance can be seen in a manga flashback of the God Valley Incident, a major event that took place 38 years before the current narration. The One Piece anime’s latest installment finally adapted this scene, unveiling the official colors of young Garling’s hair and outfit.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1149.

One Piece’s latest anime episode revealed the official colors of young Garling’s hair and outfit

Saint Figarland Garling in One Piece episode 1129

Saint Garling kills the legitimate king of God Valley (Image via Toei Animation)

Titled Kuma's Past - Better Off Dead in This World, episode 1129 of the One Piece anime finally allowed fans to see how a young Garling looked in full color. In the installment, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn unleashes terror on Egghead, effortlessly dominating Sanji, Franky, and Jewelry Bonney.

Broken in both body and spirit, Bonney reflects on the tragic past of her father, Bartholomew Kuma, ushering in a journey back in time in Kuma’s memories. The flashback shifts the narration back to 38 years ago, in God Valley, a West Blue island chosen by the Celestial Dragons as the location for their triennial human hunting tournament.

In this sadistic game, the nobles would hunt locals and slaves, competing to slaughter the most of them, as the Celestial Dragon with the highest kill count would be crowned as the champion of the horrific contest. Seeing his citizens caged to serve as prey in the Celestial Dragons’ barbaric tournament, the king of God Valley protested, only for Saint Figarland Garling to silence him with a lethal sword strike.

Figarland Garling as seen in episode 1129 (Image via Toei Animation)

The Celestial Dragons present at the scene expressed outrage at Garling, but not for the cold-blooded murder. Instead, they scolded him for committing a “false start,” as he killed a God Valley resident before the official signal to start the human hunting tournament.

Unfazed, Garling further showcased his utter disregard for human life as he revealed that he just wanted to handicap himself, willingly taking a penalty in the game to give his competitors a fairer challenge. Leaving aside the horrifying spectacle of the Celestial Dragons’ wickedness and Garling’s own cruelty, this sequence also revealed the youthful appearance of the latter.

In the manga version of the scene, featured in One Piece chapter 1095, Garling sported a high-ranking military uniform adorned with sophisticated details. His hair consisted of a single, towering spike curving forward on his forehead, without the lateral spikes and facial hair seen in Garling’s current appearance.

One Piece episode 1129 revealed Garling’s hair as blonde while also elaborating on his uniform. The attire included an elegant red cape with white fur trim, draping over an orange high-collared shirt that transitioned into a light-purple garment held at the waist by a brown belt with gold buckles. The outfit was completed by brown gloves, dark-gray plate armor components, white pants, and a pair of boots.

How Garling’s appearance changed from youth to old age

Garling as the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights (Image via Toei Animation)

Though the exact details of Figarland Garling’s involvement in the God Valley Incident remain unknown, it was stated that he earned a reputation as God Valley’s “champion,” suggesting that he was already a force to be reckoned with even at the time. However, the recent reveal of Garling’s design left most fans disappointed, with the viewers lamenting that the multicolored uniform and blonde hair undermined his intimidating aura.

Some fans even likened the young Garling to a huge walking banana, due to his long, pointy blonde hair. Admittedly, Garling’s garish uniform and banana-like hairstyle don’t match the chilling aura expected from a sadistic, ruthless villain who revels in killing for sport, his heart as icy as the blade of his sword.

Also, with Garling being the father of Shanks and Shamrock, fans expected him to have red hair just like his twin sons. Notably, in his current old age, Garling has a different hairstyle compared to when he was young, as his hair is now styled into three pointy spikes, which, combined with the beard, resemble a crescent moon from the side and a star from the front.

Garling's current appearance as one of the Five Elders (Image via Shueisha)

Both the One Piece anime and the officially colored manga depict the aged Garling with pale blonde hair. Since red hair tends to fade into pale blonde rather than gray as people age, this sparked speculation that young Garling—who during the God Valley Incident was roughly the same age as present-day Shamrock and Shanks—would boast the same red hair as his sons.

The latest anime episode proved otherwise, shattering this popular theory. This left fans disappointed, especially as Garling’s outfit was also lackluster, being unfitting for Garling’s wicked persona. The attire was also deemed underwhelming in comparison to the commanding garb that Garling wore when he was first introduced in the series as the sitting Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights.

Garling as seen in episode 1120 (Image via Toei Animation)

This scene, featured in One Piece chapter 1086 and later adapted into episode 1120 of the One Piece anime, showed Saint Garling cloaked in a black-and-red hooded coat as he ruthlessly executed a fellow Celestial Dragon, Saint Donquixote Mjosgard, for defending Shirahoshi from another Celestial Dragon, Saint Charlos.

Later, when Imu-sama appointed him as the new Warrior God of Science and Defense to replace Saint Saturn within the Five Elders, Garling traded the sinister cloak for a light-colored shirt and tie, a dark suit, and a light cape draped over his shoulders.

Regardless of his age or role, the only part of Garling’s gear that never changed was his large saber. He was always seen carrying this sword, a weapon strikingly resembling Shanks’ Gryphon and Shamrock’s yet-unnamed sword; this shared trait suggests that—no matter their diverging paths—all Figarlands wield sabers as their signature weapons.

A potential explanation for Garling’s hair and outfit

Garling, Shanks, and Shamrock as depicted in the One Piece manga (Image via Shueisha)

To be fair, the notion that Garling’s hair isn’t red shouldn’t be surprising. The One Piece manga uses a unique grayscale to depict Shanks’ and Shamrock’s red hair, making it stand out in the black-and-white panels. Other characters—even those with a similar red hair tone—have their hair inked black or simply left white.

For Garling—whether as a young man or in his current old incarnation—One Piece author Eiichiro Oda opted for white, never using the grayscale he reserved for Shanks’ and Shamrock’s crimson hair. This deliberate choice hinted at Garling’s different hair color.

With the additional confirmation from the latest One Piece episode, it’s safe to say that Shamrock and Shanks didn’t get their hair color from their father, Garling, but inherited it from their mother (whose identity and appearance remain unrevealed in both the manga and the anime).

Given Garling's evilness, fans expected him to be clad in dark clothes (Image via Toei Animation)

As for Garling’s looks in his younger incarnation, there’s little doubt that red hair and a stark black outfit would have been better suited for his character, the striking visual contrast between red and black epitomizing Garling’s bloodlust and malice. The blonde hair and multicolored uniform unveiled in episode 1129 don’t have the same impact, failing to do justice to the intimidating character that Garling is meant to represent.

While young Garling’s colorful outfit has sparked criticism and can easily be seen as questionable, this design choice may carry a deeper meaning when contextualized within what the Celestial Dragons are meant to represent in One Piece. In Oda’s story, these nobles live in unbridled luxury, considering themselves as gods among men. They view anyone who is not highborn to be worthless scum and treat the commoners as disposable playthings.

Both the Celestial Dragons’ behavior and the opulent architecture of their capital city, Mary Geoise, echo the European aristocracy of the Middle Ages and Early Modern era, when nobles wore flamboyant clothes with bright colors to flaunt their status and upper social status. So, Garling’s colorful attire may reflect this historical inspiration to emphasize the Celestial Dragons’ ostentatious nature.

Did One Piece go wrong with Figarland Garling's official colors? Explored

One Piece’s latest anime episode revealed the official colors of young Garling’s hair and outfit

Saint Figarland Garling in One Piece episode 1129

How Garling’s appearance changed from youth to old age

A potential explanation for Garling’s hair and outfit

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