One Piece: Did Oda retcon the Gorosei? Explored

One Piece has recently delved into the Five Elders, the highest political autorities in the globe second only to the enigmatic Imu-sama. With Imu dominating the world from within Mary Geoise’s Pangaea Castle, the Five Elders—known as “Gorosei” in the original Japanese spelling—serve as the shadow ruler’s proxies, making them the top overseers of the World Government on the former’s behalf.

The Five Elders shatter the previously established stereotype of the spineless, weak-willed Celestial Dragons, standing out as formidable warriors among their kind. Far from mere politicians, the Elders are battle-hardened fighters who can unleash powerful Haki, transform into Yokai-like monsters, as well as access to a variety of supernatural powers, including regeneration that allows them to recover from seemingly any kind of injury.

One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long foreshadowed the Five Elders as genuine powerhouses, weaving subtle clues about their strength before officially unveiling them as villains armed with sinister abilities. While the Elders were always intended to be central antagonists in One Piece’s final saga, their current behavior contrasts earlier depictions, hinting that Oda may have retconned their original characterizations.

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

Before One Piece revealed them as generic villains, the Gorosei had an intriguing morally grey vibe

A contradictory characterization throughout the story

Nusjuro and Warcury's words in One Piece chapter 594 (Image via Shueisha)

The recent Egghead Arc casted the Five Elders in a chilling light, redefining them as unequivocally villainous individuals who view all humans as mere insects. This marked an evident shift from their earlier, more nuanced depictions as morally ambiguous masterminds. The change was particularly emphasized when Saint Jaygarcia Saturn arrived on Egghead, soon joined by his fellow colleagues who stormed the island to stop the broadcast of Dr Vegapunk’s message to the world.

When first introduced in One Piece in chapter 233—adapted in the anime in episode 151—the Gorosei appeared as shadowy architects of the global order, discussing the news and how to maintain the balance of power. At that time, it wasn’t revealed that they were just the public face of the World Government’s absolute highest spheres, working for Imu-sama.

Saint Topman Warcury in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

In a later scene, yet still before Imu’s reveal, one of the Elders, Saint Topman Warcury, explicitly lamented that Jinbe’s resignation from the Seven Warlords would undermine the racial harmony between humans and Fish-Men. Admittedly, such concern seems absurd for a figure who is supposed to consider all humans as nothing more than insects.

Of course, the World Government hides their oppressive, tyrannical nature behind a facade of benevolence, so it makes sense for them to try to keep up appearances. The Elders would never show their true colors to the public, and instead project a false commitment to ensure peace between all inhabitants of the One Piece world.

With this in mind, Warcury's apparent concern for the relations between humans and Fish-Men may have stemmed from a desire to manage public perception, rather than a genuine interest in harmony. After all, the World Government’s ultimate goal seems to be to sink the globe underwater, so the Gorosei’s true aim likely lies in preserving control over the masses.

Saint Mars answers to Lucci in One Piece chapter 1111 (Image via Shueisha)

As seen in the flashback of the Ohara Incident, in which the Five Elders ordered the ruthless destruction of Ohara and its inhabitants for studying the Poneglyphs and discovering some secrets of the World Government’s fight with the long-forgotten Great Kingdom, the Gorosei’s behavior hasn’t always been clear-cut.

In a moment of vulnerability, Saint Marcus Mars displayed profound grief as he reluctantly issued the order to kill Professor Clover and the other Ohara scholars, his evident regret over the decision highlighting a trace of humanity. Yet, later in the series, this glimpse of compassion was overshadowed when Mars demonstrated disregard for human life, including that of those devoted to the World Government’s cause.

When Saint Mars prepared to assault the Egghead laboratory, a wounded Rob Lucci (who was unable to move from the wounds he received during the fight with Roronoa Zoro) asked Mars to spare his injured colleague, Kaku, from the impending destruction. However, Mars responded with cold disdain, remarking that he could no more ensure Kaku’s survival than he could avoid stepping on an insect by accident.

Imu on Mary Geoise's Empty Throne (Image via Toei Animation)

As late as chapter 1086—adapted in the anime’s episode 1120—the Elders were showed to betray a hint of humanity, appearing visibly shocked when Imu-sama ordered to destroy Lulusia, and even questioning the mysterious ruler of the Empty Throne on the act. Granted, they quickly suppressed their doubts to execute the command of exterminating Lulusia’s population. But their initial hesitation was striking, given that humans should be little more than insect in their eyes.

The feeling is that the Five Elders were initially meant to be pragmatic politicians, acting like complex, morally gray characters who rationalized Imu’s tyranny as a necessary evil to protect global stability, only for the author to change their established characterization and turn them into one-dimensional, evil villains devoid of the previous depth and humanity.

Is Oda trying to force-feed the readers?

Saint Saturn's ominous transformation (Image via Toei Animation)

The Five Elders went from displaying regret for ordering the deaths of people unaffiliated with the World Government to dismiss all humans, including their loyal subordinates, as insects. This shift was particularly emphasized by the Egghead Incident, which underscored the Gorosei’s evil behavior with a variety of ominous powers, including magical teleportation through pentagrams, immortality, supernatural regeneration, and transformations.

One Piece author Eiichiro Oda seemed to amplify the Gorosei’s presence with a near-cartoonish exaggeration to cement their role as malevolent villains in the eyes of readers. Sabo’s description of Imu and the Five Elders as “devilish” was perhaps Oda’s most evident attempt to guide the audience toward a precise judgement of the World Government’s upper echelons.

However, this simplistic, almost caricatured portrayal risks to be criticized as lazy writing, especially considering Oda’s signature intricate storytelling. It may appear as a straightforward approach that oversimplifies the narrative to sacrifice depth for clarity.

Saturn's evil glare (Image via Toei Animation)

The Five Elders had the potential to stand out as evil world leaders serving Imu, but not without some moral dilemmas. It would have been a much more intriguing take on their role in the story, rather than relegating them to the stereotypical trope of wicked villains who work for an even worse evildoer. Their current characterization reduces them to generic Celestial Dragons, save for their far greater fighting skills.

Of all the Gorosei, the Egghead Arc focused on Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, slowly unveiling him as a diabolical, almost sadistic individual with utter disregard for human life to the point of subjecting innocent victims with the incurable Sapphire Scales disease for experimental research.

Saturn also blackmailed Bartholomew Kuma into serving the World Government in exchange for a promise to cure Jewelry Bonney’s Sapphire Scale illness—which Saturn himself willingly caused to the child—and threatened Kuma to enslave Bonney, if he ever failed to comply with the agreement.

Saturn and the other Elders view all humans as worthless insects (Image via Shueisha)

Moreover, he deprived Kuma of his humanity, erasing his mind to have him turned into a cyborg, and asked him to be implanted with a self-destruct mechanism. Even in his final moments before Imu executed him as punishment for his failures, Saturn demonstrated his disdain for human life, including that of his subordinates, when he struck Vice Admiral Doberman with a violent aura blast for simply questioning him about the content of Vegapunk’s message.

These acts of brutality, however, stand in contrast with Saturn’s earlier leniency. He told Kizaru that they could just spare Sentomaru, his friend, even though he defied the World Government to side with Vegapunk. He also stated that they could just leave alone Bonney due to her being a child.

Given the fluctuating, almost contradictory characterization of the Elders, it’s possible that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda may still be shaping and refining their portrayal.

While the Marines navigate a morally gray area, hanging between duty and ethic, the members of the World Government are often depicted as embodiments of malevolence. A prime example of this is Saint Sommers, whose sadistic actions during the Holy Knights’ recent mission on Elbaph left fans shocked.