Joy Boy is one of the most important characters in One Piece history, however, we've yet to be introduced to him. According to what the story tells us, Joy Boy was a prominent figure during the turbulent era of the Void Century, some 800 years before the current storyline of the series.
Although most information about this man remains unknown, there are bits of hidden detail that Eiichiro Oda has snuck into the story that we feel is worth checking out. Here are 10 facts that everyone should know about Joy Boy from One Piece.
10 His Introduction
Joy Boy, although a very important character, didn't make his introduction in the series until after the two-year time-skip, following the events of the Paramount War.
He was first mentioned at Fishman Island, where Nico Robin found his message in the Sea Forest. To be more precise, Joy Boy was first mentioned in One Piece Chapter 628. In the anime, Joy Boy made his introduction a bit earlier, in Episode 548. The primary reason behind this is the faster pacing of the anime, until the late Dressrosa arc. Ever since his first mention, he's slowly being fleshed out with each passing arc.
9 The Connection To Fishman Island
Joy Boy is known to have had some connections to Fishman Island back during the times of the Void Century, which was 800 years ago in the One Piece world. According to what the story tells us, Joy Boy wanted the Fishmen to live with the humans on the surface, but because of some reason, he failed in keeping his promise.
Ultimately, this led to him writing an apology on a Poneglyph and pass it down to those who inhabited the island at the time. It wasn't until Nico Robin found this Poneglyph in the Sea Forest that as got to know who the man known as Joy Boy was.
8 His Treasure
Joy Boy was, in the words of the Pirate King, a great man who had loads of treasure in his belonging. Although what this treasure is exactly isn't known, Roger calls it a 'massive' treasure that he doesn't know what to do with.
It is believed that Joy Boy was the true owner of the grand treasure known as the One Piece that Roger found at the end of his journey in the Grand Line. Just like most things about him, however, why he left the treasure there isn't known.
7 The Final Island
Up until recently, it was believed that Gol D. Roger, the man famously known as the Pirate King, was the only person to ever step foot on the Final Island, along with the rest of his crew.
However, in One Piece Chapter 967, this was proven to be incorrect. Roger specifically mentions Joy Boy being at the island some 800 years prior to when he was there. This implies that Joy Boy is the only other known person to step foot on the Final Island, aside from Roger and his crewmates.
6 Joy Boy's Return
Although Joy Boy existed about 800-900 years before the current storyline of One Piece, the recent events of the story lead the fans to believe that he's bound to return, eventually.
In fact, in Oden's flashback, it was clearly mentioned that Joy Boy would return to the world and shake its entire foundation in 20 years. As guessed by many, that time is now and the implication is that Joy Boy has already been reborn somewhere in the world. While most believe it to be Luffy, and understandably so, we don't know who exactly Joy Boy is.
5 Joy Boy and Poseidon
Since Joy Boy shared quite a bond with the people of Fishman Island, he had a close relationship with Poseidon as well. Poseidon, one of the Three Ancient Weapons, is known to be reborn in the One Piece world after a couple of hundred years (the exact number being unknown).
The same applies to Joy Boy, who is said to have been reborn in the world alongside Poseidon. In the past, Joy Boy promised the people of Fishman Island that he'd raise them to the surface with her help and use the Noah to accomplish the task.
4 Joy Boy's Age
Joy Boy's exact age hasn't been revealed to us, much like most other things about him. He is, however, known to have existed about 900 years ago in the One Piece world. The Poneglyphs were created by the members of the Kozuki Clan about 800 years ago, and if Joy Boy wrote his apology himself, then he was at least a hundred years old.
This could mean that Joy Boy was one of the members of the Giants race, since their lifespan is well over a hundred years. However, that isn't necessarily the case as Kureha is over 140 years old, despite being a human.
3 Joy Boy And The Straw Hat
During the Reverie arc of One Piece, fans were treated with a massive revelation regarding the World Government and their hierarchy. Up until that point, it was believed that the Gorosei were orchestrating everything behind the scenes.
To the shock of many, a man known as Imu turned out to be the actual King of the World. In his possession, Imu had a giant Straw Hat that looked just like the one that Roger once wore and Luffy wears currently. It is highly likely that this hat belonged to none other than Joy Boy himself.
2 Joy Boy's Enemy
Thanks to the bits of information provided to us by Eiichiro Oda throughout the story, we know that Joy Boy was fighting a war against the 20 Kings who created the World Government back in the day.
Somehow, he found himself on the losing end in this battle, which is why he and his allies, especially those of the Kozuki, engraved the history of the world on blocks of stone, known as the Poneglyphs. It is unknown how Joy Boy died, but he is said to make a comeback soon.
1 Joy Boy And Wano
Having found out the true history of the world of One Piece, Kozuki Oden found out that Joy Boy would eventually return to the world some 20 years after his death. Since it was the Kozuki Clan who closed the gates of Wano to prevent themselves from external influence, Oden believed that it was his role to open the gates of the country.
His dying words to his retainers were to help open the gates of the country and make Wano a hospitable place before the eventual return of the mysterious figure known as Joy Boy.