第120回：Those Wano Fat Cats!

The full reveal of Wano’s Shogun Orochi Kurozumi tells us a great deal about how little he cares for the people of Wano and the extent of his two-faced (or…eight-faced?) nature. Set aside his wheeling and dealings with CP-0 and even his aspirations for Vegapunk’s technology, his character design perfectly reveals Orochi as a walking contradiction! Check that crown! What a joke! A European-style *crown* for the Shogun of One Piece’s Japan?? Goes to show that he cares about symbols of status from overseas over those from Wano but blocks his people from having any connection to the outside world! All animals all equal but some are more equal than others, eh?

And let’s not forget that the first weapon he goes to in order to threaten CP-0 is a gun, not a samurai sword. Orochi may reject the outside world on the surface, but he clearly has his eyes on taking a great seat of power on the world’s stage!

A little bit of culture this week as we look at the hyottoko mask’s influence on One Piece! The hyottoko mask (which looks just like this lovely pic of Tonoyasu) is used in traditional ceremonies, celebrations and dances throughout Japan. Starting with Tonoyasu The members of Ebisu Village all seem to be inspired by hyottoko masks as well as a number of other traditional performance masks.

Even part of Tonoyasu’s name (‘to’) is written exclusively in katakana which seems to suggest it’s referencing the mask.

Furthermore, thinking back to Toko, her name is written in katakana as well which suggests that not only she might be from Ebisu, she might actually be related to Tonoyasu!

Sanji’s battle with Page One is a clear fulfillment of Oda-sensei’s dreams for a Kaiju VS Hero battle in a Japanese city! It’s the perfect setup.

Can’t wait to see what his tweaked suit looks like! I wonder what style he’ll go for? Franky and Usopp might go for a more traditional hero look but if Nami lends a hand he could very well look like a real prince!

Pay close attention to the attitude of the Shogun’s party guests!

While they might be loyal to him on the outside, it’s obvious that they all think he’s a coward and a fool for believing in a prophecy from 20 years ago. Of course *we* know that the Shogun’s fears are all very well-founded but these people don’t know that.

Interestingly enough, their attitude towards the Shogun is being utilized to short-term and long-term dramatic effect in this chapter. In this chapter, holding back their laughter helps create the surprising setup for when a defenseless Toko guffaws at the powerful men all biting their tongues.

As for the long-term effect, there silent opinions prove these influential individuals don’t have much faith in the Shogun and could potentially be swayed to support a stronger leader in the future. After all, Wano isn’t *just* resting on Orochi’s shoulders. If the Strawhat members were to topple the current leadership, they’d need to win over the hearts and minds of powerful Wano families. If those families were fiercely loyal to the Shogun that might be tough, but there seems to be a general air of discontent among them and that’s a good sign for a successful coup d’état!