Though Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates have defeated hundreds of enemies, the antagonists of the long-running franchise’s “Final Saga” are the most difficult they’ve had to face yet. This alone might not make the latest saga inOne Piecedifficult to adapt to video games, but the vast power the Five Elders hold and their passive strategy over the first twenty-five years ofOne Piecepresents a tall task.
Major Spoilers forOne Piece’s Final Saga (Egghead Island arc and onward) ahead
One Piecehas seen many video game adaptations over the history of the franchise, but the large majority of these games fall into the action-adventure, fighting, and role-playing genres. As the five highest-ranking Celestial Dragons and “Highest Authorities of the World Government”,the Five Elders essentially have unlimited powerand immunity and control Cipher Pol, the Marines, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea prior to their disbandment. Though the Five Elders exist in a world of violence, audiences and readers have only seen the current Five Elders in political positions as they prefer to do their dirty work via the World Government.
One Piece’s Five Elders Might Not Fit Into a Video Game
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn
The main antagonist of the Egghead arc is an exception to this rule. Former “Warrior God of Science and Defense”Jaygarcia Saturn was a member of the Five Elderswho personally led the Marine siege on Egghead Island. The siege’s main goal was to assassinate Dr. Vegapunk, the head scientist of the Marines’ Special Science Group (SSG). Saturn and the Marines are, of course, thwarted by Luffy and the Straw Hats, resulting in the stripping of his immortality by Imu, the supreme ruler of the World Government who currently occupies the Empty Throne and secretly controls the Five Elders.
Losing his immortality causes Saturn to die and seems to be the only known way for the Five Elders to perish so far. Not only is the Egghead Island arc the first timeaudiences see Saturn’s true power, it is the first time audiences see one of the Five Elders engage in battle, leaving the power-scaling of the other, and likely more powerful, Elders in the dark. Some of the powers the Five Elders wield have been revealed, including telepathy between each other and Imu, the power to wield portals known as “magic circles", they can transform into Zoan animal forms, and some have been shown using specific forms of Haki, but the full scope of power each individual Elder holds has yet to be revealed.
The Five Elders
Because of thelack of information on how to kill the Five Elders, adapting them for video games could be incredibly difficult. Additionally, the immortality of the Five Elders leaves them practically indestructible, as they are able to regenerate any wounds they take on in battle. Luffy only managed to defeat the Five Elders by unleashing Joy Boy’s Supreme King Haki, which was hidden away on Egghead Island due to the meddling of the Five Elders. Since Luffy specifically used Joy Boy’s haki, it’s logical to assume that only gods are capable of damaging the Five Elders. On top of their immense power and immortality, if one of the Elders is hurt, the rest typically come to their aid. What should typically be a 1v1 boss fight can become a 1v5.
In video game terms,Luffy and the Straw Hatshave essentially been fighting smaller bosses and goons before reaching the larger bosses, which are the Five Elders. Once defeated, they can complete the game by defeating Imu. But with Imu being the only known way one of the Five Elders can die, it seems unlikely that he would be willing to part with his pawns so easily. Even if he did strip more of the Elders of their immortality, they could always be replaced, as was the case with Saturn.
Fighting a practically undefeatable enemy who can only die at someone else’s discretion sounds like frustrating gameplay. Until Oda reveals Five Elders inOne Piece’s latest arc, Elbaf, the Five Elders might not fit into gameplay development.
