Summary
Ever since his first appearance during the Jaya arc, fans knew that Blackbeard would eventually play a massive role inOne Piece. Just like many other significant characters within the story, Blackbeard’s overall appearance throughout the various arcs has been brief, which has made most fans believe that his eventual role is being saved for the Final War and will be huge.
Conversely, Imu is very clearly built up as the final villain ofOne Piecewho Luffy and all the allies he has made along the way will team up to defeat. However, there is a subset of fans who believe that, somehow, Blackbeard may just be the final villain of the series instead. This is due to some clues as well as his thematic connection to Luffy, so let’s take a look at the possibility ofBlackbeard being the series' final villain.
A Look At Why This May Be Blackbeard
First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 223, “I Promise Never to Fight in This Town”
Story Arc
Jaya
One Pieceis a story that is filled to the brim with symbolism and thematic connections. Some of the biggest moments and the journeys of many of the most important characters are set into motion because of this fact, since overarchingconcepts such as freedom and Inherited Willhave influenced the lives of most people in this world. Right off the bat, this remains the most important aspect of how Blackbeard could be the final villain.
Firstly, this isn’t to say that he may somehow become stronger than Imu since it is highly unlikely for him to do so considering Imu’s ancient nature and mysterious powers. So, the possibility of him being the final villain ofOne Pieceis entirely predicated on his role in the Final War as well as the role he serves in the overall story. Blackbeard has had a hand in some of the most important events in the world and has had a great influence over Luffy particularly.
Most notable was his battle against Ace, which led to the latter’s capture. This paved the path for Ace’s execution and the subsequent attempts to free him from the Navy’s control in the events of the Marineford arc. The arc served as one of the biggest moments in Luffy’s journey and the greatest catalyst for the growth of his character, as well as the fact that the ending of this war is what led to Blackbeardacquiring Whitebeard’s Gura Gura no Mi, marking himself as the most dangerous pirate in the entire story.
Blackbeard is also the reason Shanks has his iconic scars, giving him an even bigger impact on Luffy’s story. All of this is to highlight the fact that he is the opposite side to Luffy’s coin and that they are connected through fate. They both represent unparalleled ambition to become the King of the Pirates but have gone in vastly different ways of making sure this happens.
People’s dreams… have no end!
This was foreshadowed by Teach’s first appearance, where he and Luffy were sitting at a bar and had contrasting opinions about everything, and then again outside the bar where he gave his iconic speech to the Straw Hats. This is genius storytelling by Oda since it shows thatBlackbeard is essentially how Luffy would have turned outif the events of his life were different, making him essentially an ‘evil’ version of the main character.
This is precisely why Blackbeard would make the perfect final villain for theOne Piecestory. Of course, he is not as powerful or terrifying as Imu is, but he acts as the perfect thematic villain for Luffy who has the same goal as him. Both of these characters want to become the King of the Pirates, but for wholly different reasons; one for freedom and the other for subjugation. This theme also seems to be a rivalry that is passed down through the generations, as it was first shown with Roger and Rocks and perhaps even Joyboy and Imu.
By making Blackbeard Luffy’s final obstacle, it would bring the story full circle in a way that is far better than anything else and would show the true price of ambition. Whenever Teach’s eventual backstory is shown, it is certain to be a tragic onein typical Oda fashion, so fans will finally get an insight into how the man became the terrifying pirate that he is today. Some may even sympathize with him.
Blackbeard’s Role In The Final War
How Will He Become The Final Villain?
As for how Blackbeard may reach the stage where he is the final villain, it’s currently all just speculation. However, some feel that the threat ofImu would be so great and destructivethat Blackbeard will have no choice but to team up with Luffy and his allies, since he would know that, no matter what, this villain stands in the way of his dream just as much as they do for Luffy.
One of the more popular theories as to how Blackbeard will rise in power works perfectly in line with his character. It is known that his body is unique as it can house multiple Devil Fruits inside of it, and it is believed that Imu may have the strongest Devil Fruit of them all, particularly a Mythical Zoan that lets them transform into a giant monster. Going by this, it’s highly likely that, at the end of the Final War against Imu, Blackbeard shows up.
Fate has chosen me to conquer this world!
After the great villain has been defeated by the forces of Luffy and all of his allies, a previously unseen Blackbeard could then make his appearance in the Final War and strip Imu of their Devil Fruit power, easily making him the strongest character in the series at that point, since he would have the strongest Logia, Paramecia, and Mythical Zoan fruits all at once.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
