Quick Links
Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1140.The villains that have been generating the largest amount of hype in recentOne Pieceare, undoubtedly, the Holy Knights. As the World Government’s most elite soldiers, they’ve had the makings of being the manga’s biggest villains from the moment they were first named, and there was no better group of villains to introduce inOne Piece’s final saga.
The Holy Knights have finally taken center stage as the villains ofthe Elbaph arc, and by the time of their latest appearance in chapter #1040, it’s become clear that the Holy Knights are nothing like most people expected them to be. At the same time, however,One Piece’s full depiction of the Holy Knights makes them much better villains compared to what most people thought they would be like, and ifOne Piececan keep to that writing, they’re sure to be a welcome addition toOne Piece’s final saga.
One Piece’s Strongest New Villains Aren’t As Serious As Fans Thought They Would Be
One Piece’s Holy Knights Have A Surprising Amount Of Variety To Them
When the Holy Knights were first introduced intoOne Piece, most people assumed they would be a largely serious group of villains. Serious villains would fit the atmosphere ofOne Piece’s final saga, of course, and in his brief appearances,Figarland Garling, the previous leader of the Holy Knights, came off as a very straightlaced, no-nonsense villain. Shamrock, who succeeded his position, was very much the same, soOne Piece, to many, had already laid the groundwork for the Holy Knights to be a largely serious group of villains.
That idea, however, was completely thrown out withOne Piecechapter #1140. Chapter #1140 introduced two new Holy Knights, Saint Sommers and Saint Killingham, and both are played far more comedically than what was previously shown of the Holy Knights, with Killingham having a goofy design and personality and Sommers randomly being in his underwear in his debut. Even theHoly Knight Gunko, largely serious in her debut, had some comedic moments with her blushing at Sommers’ state of undress, soOne Piecechapter #1140 makes it clear that the Holy Knights will be more comedic characters than people thought.
One Piece’s Holy Knights Wouldn’t Have Worked If They Were Completely Serious
Why The Holy Knights Needed To Be The Way They Are
Part ofOne Piece’s charm is how the villains of each arc, or at least the ones working for the main villain, can balance comedic personalities with varying degrees of cruelty to their words and actions, and something like that was already on full display with Sommers and Killingham amidst all the comedy they brought about.One Piece’s current depiction of the Holy Knights works because it brings things in line with howOne Piecehas always written its villains, and hopefully, they’ll end up being just as entertaining as previous groups, if not more so.
That idea also works specifically because of the Holy Knights being affiliated with the Celestial Dragons. Between the regular ones and the Five Elders, the entire group has been nothing but a cruel and horrid bunch from day one, and while that’s the point, it would undoubtedly get tiresome for readers to have to deal with an entire group like that for an entire arc.One Pieceadding a bit of levity to the Holy Knights keeps the conflict with them from getting too dour, even with their underlying cruelty, and that should be great to watch play out.
One Piece’s Holy Knights Will Make Or Break The Final Saga
Everything In One Piece’s Final Saga Could Be Riding On Its Villains
One Piece’s depiction of the Holy Knights will undoubtedly spark plenty of debate, and that can have a major effect on the final saga. With everything that’s been established about the Holy Knights, they’re almost certainly going to be the main villains of the final saga, with Elbaph likely a first look into what to expect from them. As with any story,One Piece’s arcs often live and die by the quality of their villains, sohow good a jobOne Piecedoes of selling the Holy Knights as villains could determine how good the final saga ends up being.
Of course, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about in that regard. Between their increasingly engaging designs and personalities, not to mentionOne Piece’s great track record with villains,there’s little reason to suspect that the Holy Knights will be anything but greatOne Piecevillains, even if they’re far different from what people were expecting out of the group. The rest of the Elbaph arc is bound to further showcase how much the Holy Knights add toOne Piece’s charm, and overall, that will be great to see.
