One Piece reveals the true spelling of Elbaf in chapter 1130

First mentioned in One Piece during the Little Garden Arc, Elbaf has since been one of the most anticipated destinations on the Straw Hat crew's journey through the Grand Line. Elbaf is the home to the Giant Race, whose members possess formidable physical strength due to their incredibly large bodies. This gives Elbaf a reputation for being the mightiest country in the One Piece world.

Elbaf is also rich in history and mythology. Its folklore is deeply intertwined with the legend of Nika, a fabled figure who was said to fight to free the oppressed, bringing them joy and happiness. Nowadays, One Piece’s main character, Monkey D. Luffy, wields the same surreal powers as Nika after eating a very peculiar Zoan Devil Fruit.

In Elbaf, Nika is known and revered as the “Sun God”. While this only suggests the utmost importance of Elbaf in the One Piece story, the latest chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s pirate-themed manga has surprised fans by revealing that it has a different name, Elbaph. One Piece chapter 1130 indeed confirmed that this is the correct spelling, leaving no room for doubt.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1130.

Latest One Piece chapter just destroyed a popular fan theory by revealing Elbaf's official name

The correct spelling, explained

The island of Elbaph (Image via Toei Animation)

Fans have always used “Elbaf” to refer to the homeland of the Giant Race, but the latest chapter of the manga proves that the country’s official name is indeed Elbaph. One Piece chapter 1130 featured a double spread, showing the island in its entirety and revealing the official Romanization of its Japanese name.

Romanization is a transliteration method used to write Japanese words with the letters of the Latin alphabet. It’s mostly used to allow non-Japanese speakers to read names and toponyms. Before One Piece chapter 1130, the official Romanization for Elbaf had never been provided, leaving the transliteration to the choice of translators and publishers.

VIZ Media, the company that owns the rights to publish the manga and distribute the anime of several popular shonen series – including One Piece – in North America, has been spelling Elbaf as Elbaph since the long-time Little Garden Arc.

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To be fair, VIZ is known for spelling names in its way, such as Roronoa Zolo in place of Roronoa Zoro, Portgaz D. Ace in place of Portgas D. Ace, Jinbe in place of Jinbei, Marijoa in place of Mary Geoise, and more. This is mostly because One Piece author Eiichiro Oda’s official Romanization was not yet available, so the VIZ translators Romanized those names phonetically.

After the mangaka provided his Romanization, VIZ decided to maintain the previous transliterations for continuity. This led many English-speaking fans to ignore those translations in favor of those they felt more comfortable with. Therefore, many readers deliberately ignored VIZ’s Elbaph spelling in favor of the traditional Elbaf transliteration.

However, the issue with Elbaph is quite different. Just as Zoro’s name has been written as Zoro by Eiichiro Oda himself, regardless of the spelling used by VIZ, Elbaf is now being written as Elbaph by the very author of the story.

Elbaph, Elbaf, and fable

Usopp's admiration for the Giants of Elbaph (Image via Shueisha)

Zoro is only spelled as “Zolo” in the VIZ translations, and his name is written by Oda’s hand as Zoro. Instead, Elbaph is called such in the VIZ release and Eiichiro Oda’s own Romanization. This makes Elbaph the official name of the Giant Race’s home island, just like when Oda revealed the canon Romanization of Raftel to be Laugh Tale.

The canon Romanization of Elbaph may be difficult for One Piece fans to accept, as it completely disproves the highly popular theory according to which the homeland of the Giants was called Elbaf because this name was the backward spelling of “fable”.

Over the years, this theory grew in popularity, giving the name of Elbaf an almost mythological connotation that fans have come to cherish. The theory emphasized the fascinating link between Elbaf’s name being “fable” spelling backward and Usopp’s character. Usopp’s name and demeanor are believed to reference the ancient Greek fabulist and storyteller Aesop.

Usopp is known for telling fanciful stories of his own invention, most of which are blatant lies. Moreover, the Japanese pronunciation of Aesop is very similar to the spelling of Usopp’s name, creating another parallel. Things come full circle as Usopp is expected to play a major role on the island of the Giants.

One Piece chapter 1130 proves that the assumed spelling was only a fan claim that was not supported by facts. That said, the abovementioned theory was incredibly intriguing, and most fans would have probably appreciated it if the story had proven true. Although understandably fond of the long-established name, the audience now must get used to employing Elbaph.

The long-awaited adventure in the island of the Giants finally begins

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One Piece fans fondly remember how Usopp expressed his desire to visit Elbaph after meeting Dorry and Brogy and hearing their tales about the land. Luffy immediately aligned himself with Usopp, making the arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates on Elbaph only a matter of time. Since then, the country was briefly shown in Big Mom’s flashback hundreds of chapters later.

It was also revealed that 22 years before the present One Piece narration, Jaguar D. Saul and a team of Elbaph-born Giants retrieved the remaining books salvaged by the Ohara scholars and carried them to Elbaph. Sometime later, Dr Vegapunk visited the island to read those precious books.

The Viking Age Scandinavia and Norse mythology heavily inspire both Elbaph and its inhabitants. The Giants and their belongings resemble the stereotypical appearance of Vikings. Likewise, the names of many characters - such as Muginn, Hilmungandr, and Prince Loki – derive directly from Norse mythology.

The mountains of Elbaph (Image via Toei Animation)

The lower part of Elbaph is a mountainous region connected to a large tree that towers over the island up past its upper part. Needless to say, the tree is called Yggdrasil, much like the homonymous mythological “tree of life” that is said to encompass nine different words. Both the forest on Elbaph and the waters surrounding the island are noted to be home to colossal beasts.

At one point in the past, Big Mom tried to integrate Elbaph’s formidable military into the ranks of her crew by arranging a political marriage between one of her daughters, Charlotte Lola, and Prince Loki. Allegedly, Loki fell in love with Lola at first sight, but Lola ran away before the wedding, disrupting her mother’s plans.

The Red Hair Pirates in Elbaph (Image via Toei Animation)

Recently, Elbaph hosted the battle between the Kid Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates, which resulted in the crushing defeat of Eustass Kid and his men at the hands of “Red Hair” Shanks. Dorry and Brogy, shown to be on friendly terms with the Red Hair Pirates, finish the job by destroying Kid’s ship.

The latest chapters show that the Straw Hat Pirates have finally arrived on Elbaph. As Luffy and the others begin to explore the island, fans can only wonder what adventures await them. Since Elbaph is the source of the legend of “Sun God” Nika, perhaps this arc will allow Luffy to learn the true origin of his Devil Fruit and master its god-like powers.

One Piece reveals the true spelling of Elbaf in chapter 1130

Latest One Piece chapter just destroyed a popular fan theory by revealing Elbaf's official name

The correct spelling, explained

Elbaph, Elbaf, and fable

The long-awaited adventure in the island of the Giants finally begins

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