One Piece anime's Figarland Garling design puts the most famous Shanks theory in jeopardy

Modified Sep 26, 2024 05:30 GMT

One Piece anime under scrutiny for recent Figarland depiction (Image via Toei Animation). — One Piece anime under scrutiny for recent Figarland depiction (Image via Toei Animation)

The One Piece anime has almost negated one of the most notorious theories in the fandom: Shanks was a member of the Garling family, and therefore, a Celestial Dragon. That is because Figarland Garling, the leader of the Holy Knights of the World Government, was originally interpreted as having red hair, just like Shanks. However, now the anime has confirmed that he is blonde.

This has surprised many people and annoyed some others regarding the depiction of Garling in the One Piece anime. While the color of his hair was probably an instruction by author Eiichiro Oda, some fans think that his depiction in the Toei Animation adaptation has devalued the character's "aura" and cool factor, although that is up for interpretation.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

The One Piece anime has probably debunked a major Shanks theory through its depiction of Figarland Garling

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Many fans assumed that St. Figarland Garling, the leader of the Holy Knights of the World Government, had red hair in the manga, which is why there was a major theory that Shanks was related to him. However, the One Piece anime has shown him having blonde hair, which puts this theory into question and perhaps even downright debunks it.

There is no denying that the idea of Shanks having some connection with the World Government has been a prevalent theory since he was first seen talking with the Elders of the Gorosei. The Garling connection made it fairly logical but now that Toei Animation has depicted the latter as blonde, the theory has less of a leg to stand on.

Moreover, some people in the fandom think that Toei Animation's depiction of Figarland Garling removed some of the cool factor he had in the manga. While this is up for interpretation, it is a general perception that has been seen recently on X since he made his anime debut.

The mysteries of Figarland Garling

Garling as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

Despite his introduction in the One Piece anime not being the greatest, Figarland Garling is a character who generates a lot of questions in the fandom. That is because of his role as the leader of the Holy Knights, a very peculiar force in the World Government, and how he recently replaced Saturn in the Gorosei, meaning the members in that group can be changed.

Moreover, Garling was seen in a flashback during the events of God Valley, which only added to his mystery as a character in the One Piece anime. This was the battle where Marine hero Monkey D. Garp and Pirate King Gol D. Roger teamed up. This means that he is one of the few characters who perhaps knows the truth of what happened on such a fateful day.

Final thoughts

There is no denying that Figarland Garling's debut in the One Piece anime generated a lot of different opinions and reactions. However, perhaps the most telling aspect of his first appearance in the anime is that it probably debunked the theories connecting him with Shanks because of their hair color.

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Edited by Meenakshi Ajith