Thriller Bark Homage
Yamato’s Cover Page Series Vol. 35: “Hakunai Sumo Tournament! Brother Urashima, Throw the Yokozuna Sukune!”
Kawamatsuno makes a return. The chain: Kawamatsuno → kappa → sumo fan → sumo tournament → Yamato throwing a giant.
The MMA forces and main story content are drawn like Thriller Bark zombies — and since Kiringum calls Elbaf “a nightmare,” the chain continues: nightmare → Nightmare Luffy → Nightmare Luffy blows away Oars.
The Sumo God: Nomi-no-Sukune
Yokozuna Sukune, thrown by Yamato, is a reference to Nomi-no-Sukune, the god of sumo. The distinctive eyebrows and beard match.
Nomi-no-Sukune was a powerful clan leader in the era of Emperor Suinin (11th Emperor). Yamato Takeru — the model for Yamato — was the son of Emperor Keiko (12th Emperor), putting them in roughly the same historical period.
Another historical homage from history-enthusiast Oda. (For reference: Yamato Takeru died before ascending to the throne, so his half-brother became the 13th Emperor, and his son became the 14th Emperor Chuai.)
The Undying Army That Keeps Rising
The undying MMA army rising again and again at Kiringum’s signal — also a Thriller Bark homage.
- MMA units that rise again after being defeated
- MMA units that crawl up from the earth
Kiringum’s true face, once revealed, is striking — demonic eyes and fangs that were entirely absent from his giraffe form. A sharp contrast with Kaku, whose giraffe had clearly reflected his square face.
“Not a Shred of Pride”
Usopp shouting at a demonized Driblo — “Wake up! What’s that — not a shred of pride left?!” — is a Thriller Bark self-homage as well.
The long vertical fangs on the demonized Driblo — were those chopsticks foreshadowing?
Ragnarok
The march of the demon army — MMA’s Jormungandr and Fenrir, the demonized Giant Warrior Pirates, and inexplicably Zunesha at the front — is a homage to Ragnarok, the final battle of Norse mythology.
A full-scale Ragnarok homage will likely come around in the story’s final arc. At that point, it will be Luffy leading Jormungandr (Loki with his serpent ability), Fenrir (Yamato), and the hellish army (the Straw Hat Grand Fleet) in a war against the gods (Celestial Dragons).
The scene comparing the overturned, demonized giants to flipping Othello pieces is a Go-game homage from the Wano arc.
Which means: with Luffy and Bonney’s double-Nika pincer, the white pieces flip back and take over — that’s the foreshadowing.
Falling
Chopper chasing after Gambang as he falls into the underworld — that calls to mind Luffy falling from Onigashima after being defeated by Kaido.
Chopper Freed Like Nika
Chopper running through the air with his legs spinning like wheels — that looks just like Luffy freely flying through the sky after becoming Nika.
Scorched-black Nika flipping over to white Nika — was even that level of detail intentional?
Nika’s Freedom Influencing Chopper
Somehow Luffy knew Chopper was falling. And Chopper ran through the air like Nika while falling.
Maybe that was more than a gag. What if Nika’s freedom is contagious — or Nika’s ability is being shared with Chopper? And that shared sense connected Luffy to Chopper in that moment?
Im grants the Five Elders and Holy Knights immortality, and communicates with them via telepathy — a kind of shared perception. Could Nika do something similar?
What if Nika’s power to materialize imagination spread to the crew — everyone becoming Nika in their own way?
This week’s Luffy and Chopper scene felt just a little suspicious.
And with that, we’re done for today. See you next week.