One Piece: Does Monkey D. Dragon know Luffy is his son? Explained

One Piece has mysteries and characters that are extremely important to the plot moving forward. This is why fans have several questions involving them, and a great example of this is Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, who is also the father of the series' protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. Given the circumstances, many have wondered if Dragon is aware of the blood connection.

Yes, Dragon is aware that Luffy is his son, and that is another interesting development in the One Piece series, as it throws light on the former's character and the reasons why he decided to have a child and then leave him behind. It is one of the many reasons that Dragon has become one of the most controversial characters in the franchise, along with his lack of action throughout the manga.

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

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Explaining how Dragon knows Luffy is his son and why he left him behind in the One Piece series

Yes, Monkey D. Dragon does know that Luffy is his son, and this has been fully confirmed during the Bartholomew Kuma flashbacks, where he tells the latter that it is better for him to step away from his son's life so people are not aware of their connection. This has led to a lot of fan discussions about why Dragon decided to have a son and whether he cares about him or not.

The truth of the matter is, as of this writing, the story of how Luffy was born has never been shown in the series, and the protagonist's mother has never been introduced or name-dropped, either. This has generated a lot of speculation about who Dragon's partner was and what happened to her, when considering that Luffy was left in the East Blue and being supervised by Garp instead of his mother.

It has been hinted that Dragon does care about his son, though, as it has been recently revealed that he made a detour when visiting the East Blue to see Luffy in Roguetown and saved him from Smoker at the time. That was the first time the character was presented in the story and one of the few times he has been an active player in the plot.

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Criticisms of the Dragon character

Dragon in the anime adaptation (Image via Toei Animation).

There is no denying that Dragon is one of the most mysterious characters in the One Piece franchise, as very little of his motivations, backstory, and abilities has been shown throughout the series. Considering that the manga is reaching its conclusion, a lot of people feel that perhaps it is too late to give him the development and relevance without making it feel rushed.

The series has not fully explained why Dragon formed the Revolutionary Army, although it has been revealed that he was a Marine at some point. There are also significant points that need to be addressed, such as his abilities, and his plans to stop the World Government, which is something that is probably going to be explained at the end of the series.

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Final thoughts

Monkey D. Dragon does know that Luffy is his son, and it has been shown in the One Piece manga that he apparently does care about him. However, Dragon's character has many mysteries and there are a lot of questions surrounding what he does and why he does it.

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