Who is Joy Boy? A brief One Piece explanation

Joy Boy is an important figure in One Piece history, yet very little is known about them.

The One Piece series is full of unsolved mysteries. However, whether it's Zunesha or the Void Century, Joy Boy seems to be the missing piece to these puzzles. Whoever this person was 900 years ago completely reshaped history.

Joy Boy was first mentioned right after the One Piece timeskip. Nico Robin read the Ryugu Poneglyph on Fishman Island, which detailed his apology to Poseidon and his people. Since then, Joy Boy has been the center of various myths and legends.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion and contains manga spoilers.

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Who is the mysterious Joy Boy from One Piece?

Joy Boy has never been seen in the One Piece series, having only been alluded to by word of mouth. Any future lore bombs will likely shake the foundations of the fanbase.

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Here is what is known about their past

Over 900 years ago, Joy Boy lived in the Void Century. The World Government erased this particular era from history, so very little is known about this time. What is known is that Joy Boy had a good relationship with Fishman Island. He promised to help Poseidon raise Noah, the Ship of Promise.

For unknown reasons, Joy Boy ended up breaking that promise and inscribed his apology on a Poneglyph. This can be found in the Sea Forest right near Fishman Island. Nonetheless, the residents continued to look after Noah.

At some point, Zunesha was a traveling companion for Joy Boy.

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They left behind their treasure in Laugh Tale

Joy Boy eventually found a mysterious island where he left his greatest treasures, also known as the One Piece. The island wouldn't be named until several years later, right after the Roger Pirates arrived. After crying tears of joy at what they saw, the island was named Laugh Tale.

Roger outrightly stated that he wished he lived in the same era as Joy Boy. However, the Roger Pirates were apparently too late to do anything about what they learned. For some reason, Kozuki Oden wanted to open the borders of Wano Country in preparation for Joy Boy and their eventual return.

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Apparently, "Joy Boy" is a title that can be inherited

At some point in his early life, Kaido wanted to become Joy Boy, although his reasons are currently unknown.

After defeating the Straw Hat for the second time in the Onigashima Raid, he lamented that Luffy couldn't be Joy Boy "either." This seems to imply that Joy Boy is simply a title that carries prestige.