Nika Awakening is actually the only way to stop Blackbeard’s Darkness!

Before Chapter 1044, people had no idea that Luffy will have one of the most powerful devil fruits in the series.

The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is the only devil fruit power that the World Government wanted to erase from the entire history. It allows the user to transform into the legendary “Sun God” Nika.

So we learned that Luffy has this legendary devil fruit ability that once Joy Boy had. This devil fruit was so powerful that it’s nearly a Toon Force ability that gives Luffy enough freedom to do almost anything he wants.

Sun vs Darkness concept was already highlighted in Blackbeard’s previous battle, where Ace probably used his Logia Awakening via Entei and covered the half of the island with his fire, that his ability looked like an island sized Sun:

Basically, before Chapter 1044, people were still saying things like Luffy’s Haki is more important, not his devil fruit ability. But Oda proved these people wrong. Post-1044 One Piece gives the main character one of the most powerful devil fruit abilities, with the concept of being the Sun God.

Luffy has now the ability to do almost anything the he wants, with more freedom and more power once its power has awakened. And Blackbeard is the only character who can counter this freedom and power, with its darkness that can turn everything to nothing.

It makes so much sense that Blackbeard specifically searched for Darkness Logia, when there are also other powerful Logia abilities in One Piece. It was probably for countering an absurd and a very powerful Toon Force-like ability.

From Luffy to Goku and Beyond: Why Do So Many Anime Protagonists Have Black Hair?

Anime is known for starring characters with strange or unusual hair colors, with pink, green, blue and other hues being the norm for various show cast members. At the same time, one commonality is that the main characters, particularly in shonen stories, have black hair. Several of the biggest heroes in the medium have dark-colored hair, including the face of shonen anime as a whole.

There are several reasons for this coloration, most of which are practical. From the manga origins of most anime to the country that the stories hail from, there would seem to be more behind the dark tresses of many anime characters than mere coincidence.

Goku, Luffy and Other Anime Heroes All Have Black Hair

Perhaps the most iconic anime character of all is Goku, the hero of the Dragon Ball franchise. Though his various powered forms may sport different hair colors, Goku starts out with black hair. Dark-colored hair is even mentioned by fellow Saiyan Vegeta as being the norm among their race, with Goku's sons Gohan and Goten all sporting hair colors and hairstyles similar to their dad. Goku isn't the only shonen anime hero with this hair color; Luffy, the main character from One Piece, also has black hair. The same goes for many of the Joestar family members in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure -- a series that became a more adult-oriented seinen manga and anime.

Speaking of which, the incredibly violent seinen series Fist of the North Star had a black-haired protagonist in Kenshiro, though his locks were occasionally colored a dark brown. Beyond these demographics, even kids' shows have protagonists with black hair. Nobita Nobi from Doraemon and the buttcheek-boasting Shin-chan from the show of the same name all have the same black hair color, as does Ash/Satoshi of the Pokémon anime. These shows in particular illustrate one of the main reasons for so many anime characters having black hair.

Relatability and Practicality Gives Most Anime Characters Their Black Hair

Japanese people tend to have black to dark brown hair, with the former being the most common. Thus, it's no surprise that their artistic representations would reflect this. As mentioned, many kids' shows in particular have black-haired protagonists, and it's likely so that audiences -- in this case, young boys -- can more easily relate to what the main characters are going through. This extends to the power fantasy and wish fulfillment aspect of shonen stories, as it would likely be easier for the typical Japanese male to "see" themselves as Goku than a more overtly foreign-looking character.

However, this doesn't explain the presence of shonen heroes and other main characters in anime with other hair colors. For instance, Naruto Uzumaki and his son Boruto sport very un-Japanese blond hair. Likewise, characters such as Natsu from Fairy Tail have hair colors that are completely unnatural. This is likely an extreme version of the "fantasy" aspect of anime and manga, resulting in character designs that are more an exaggeration of reality than truly reflective of it. Thus, Naruto's blond hair may be seen as just as unnatural as Natsu's pink tresses.

Another explanation is that black hair shows up more easily in the pages of the original manga that inspire some anime. Though not all anime are adaptations, many of the shonen variety are. Given that manga are typically black and white, hair that's black requires less detail to stand out on white pages. More than likely, it's a combination of these factors -- not to mention, of course, the simple fact that dark hair is simply the norm for many people in general.

One Piece creator finally shines the light on Luffy’s mom and dad

It has been leaked that in the upcoming issue of One Piece’s SBS, a column in the manga where Oda answers fans’ questions, the author will once again confirm Luffy’s family has already been seen in the series. According to the leaks, Oda replied to a question about Luffy’s parents by stating that he had already drawn both of them. Keep reading to learn more about the issue.

In the past, Oda has talked about the irrelevance of Luffy’s mother to the plot of One Piece. The author has stated that mothers are the opposite of adventure, which is why he believes Luffy is better off without seeing his mother. Yet, his answers have never quenched the thirst of the fans, who have been asking for decades to learn more about Luffy’s mom.

The latest instance of the curiosity displayed by fans will appear in the next SBS section of One Piece. In it, Oda will once again tell fans that he has already shown both of Luffy’s parents in the manga. One of them is known by every fan as Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.

Luffy’s mom, on the other hand, has not been revealed yet, but this latest statement makes it clear that we have already met her. As the story of One Piece nears its end, Oda will likely start giving Luffy’s mother major importance in the series.

This is not the first time Oda has talked about the woman who raised Luffy. A few years ago, the creator of One Piece claimed that he already had an idea of what Luffy’s mother would look like. The woman would be rough-looking, loud, and impolite. This ended up being the personality of Dadan, a woman who acted as Luffy’s adoptive mother for many years.

Years after that statement, Oda was once again questioned about Luffy’s biological mother. This was the first time the mangaka replied that Luffy’s mom had already been drawn in the manga. Many fans, following the One Piece creator's statement, have come up with speculations about who the woman who raised Luffy as a baby is.

Some fans theorized that Sir Crocodile could secretly be Luffy’s mom. In the past, fans have speculated that Crocodile used to be a woman who asked Ivankov to turn him into a man. Another popular theory claims that Im-sama could be our hero’s mother, which could explain why Oda is so secretive about the truth.

Recently, a new theory has surfaced amongst the community, claiming that Bonney is the Straw Hat captain’s mom. This theory is based on the sudden appearance of the female Supernova in One Piece chapter 1060. Fans believe Oda is talking about our protagonist’s mother due to Bonney's reappearance in the series.

Despite Oda’s insistence about Luffy’s mom not being important to the story of One Piece, fans will continue to wonder who the woman is. It seems like Oda is slowly warming up to the idea of revealing the identity of this enigmatic character.

Nevertheless, until there is an official statement concerning the identity of the Straw hat captain’s mother, fans will have to keep speculating about the possibilities. Maybe in the future, Oda will finally shed some light on this issue.