He’s been here all along.
One Piece stars Monkey D Luffy, a boy whose body became rubbery after eating something special known as a Devil Fruit.
With his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy hunts for the world’s greatest treasure (known as ‘One Piece’) to become the next Pirate King. And boy, has that search taken him a while.
Based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga of the same name, One Piece has aired continuously since the late ’90s, making it one of the most legendary anime shows of all time.
And because of that, there are a lot of characters to get familiar with over the span of its many, many episodes.
One of the more recent people to get caught up on in One Piece lore is none other than Sun God Nika.
Although he’s a newcomer, it’s clear that Nika has been known to the world of One Piece for a very, very long time – and some are trying to make sure no one else knows about him.
Read on to understand everything we know about who Sun God Nika is, and what he means for the future of One Piece.
Who is Sun God Nika?
Nika is a bit of a mysterious character. He was first introduced in chapter 1,018 of the manga and episode 1,040 of the anime – however, in both the manga and the anime, we’ve only seen his silhouette.
Right now, similar to the World Government leader Imu, we have no idea what Nika looks like beyond his outline – and given the comparison, it seems likely that Nika is a figure of great power.
Who’s-Who of the Beasts Pirates was the first to ever mention Sun God Nika, having heard the legend from a prison guard during his time imprisoned by the World Government.
According to Who’s-Who, Sun God Nika was a mythical figure who was compassionate to those enslaved – it was foretold that one day Nika would return to liberate them and bring happiness to their lives.
What connects Luffy and Sun God Nika?
There’s an interesting connection between the Sun God Nika and Monkey D Luffy: There exists a devil fruit called the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika which, as you might expect, allows the user to gain Nika’s abilities.
However, the World Government sought to erase any evidence of the fruit from history, renaming it the Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit.
Sound familiar? Well, it should – because that’s the fruit that Luffy accidentally ate when he was seven years old.
For a long time, it’s been assumed that the fruit was just another of the regular Devil Fruits (if they can even be called regular) – but recently, Luffy went through his Gear 5 transformation in the anime, awakening the fruit’s true powers. Luffy even jumped in the air, with his silhouette appearing identical to Nika’s.
Is Sun God Nika real?
Unlike many of the other deities in the world of One Piece, like Boa Hancock and Big Mom’s weapons, Nika is the first original deity with his own set of unique powers.
However, there are some real-world references, including his name – Nika, another name for Nike, the goddess of victory. Likewise, the idea of a Sun God is something observed in a number of cultures throughout history.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.