Why I don’t like the politics of Skypiea – a decolonial read from a One Piece die-hard
Skypiea is often one of the least liked arcs in the fandom. People complain about the pacing, Enel as a villain, or the way the arc feels a bit disconnected from the main plot. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of the pacing either, but I do think the arc plays an important role thematically in the worldbuilding of One Piece.
But there’s something else that always itches at me whenever I reread or rewatch Skypiea: the politics. Especially from a decolonial point of view.
Let’s get something out of the way first: yes, One Piece is political because every media is political and thinking otherwise is a privilege.
I’ve already explored that in this other post.
Usually, I’m actually really happy with the politics of One Piece (see here).
For something this big, this mainstream, this long-running, it’s surprisingly radical. But here? Skypiea misses the mark.
Just for context: I’m not Native American and I didn’t grow up in a settler colonial state. I am an indian refugee based in Europe. But I’ve been involved in antiracist and decolonial work for over ten years, and these themes deeply matter to me. That’s the lens I’m bringing here.
The Shandians are clearly inspired by Indigenous peoples, especially Native Americans. You can see it in the architecture of Shandora, the body paint, the feathered clothes, and the spiritual attachment to their land. The whole story of Upper Yard being taken over by the Sky People echoes settler colonialism: the land is renamed, claimed in the name of a divine right, and those who resist are framed as violent.
The Sky People call the land "Upper Yard," and their occupation is justified through religion. This is textbook colonisation logic: taking land under the pretext of divine authority. It echoes the Doctrine of Discovery and other missionary/colonial discourses.
Meanwhile, the Shandians are introduced as the aggressors. Their history is only slowly revealed. But when we learn more, their resistance is reframed in a more empathetic light. What first appears as irrational or excessive violence is later revealed to be deeply rooted in historical trauma and political struggle. That shift is powerful and made me hope the Shandians regain control over their narrative.
Noland, Kalgara & colonial tropes
The flashback with Noland and Kalgara is emotionally powerful but reproduces a lot of colonial tropes. Noland arrives from the North Blue, brings knowledge and reason, stops a human sacrifice, and becomes the voice of enlightenment. Kalgara is impulsive and emotional, and his redemption arc comes through learning from the outsider.
Even though they become friends, the structure of the story reinforces a white savior narrative. And in the end, the tragedy we are asked to mourn is Noland’s. He dies unjustly, remembered as a liar, while the Shandians fade into the background.
They are remembered through grief—not through sovereignty or reappropriation of their story.
Reconciliation without justice
At the end of the arc, there is a reconciliation between the Sky People and the Shandians. They throw a party, everyone celebrates, and the land is "shared" again. But who holds power?
Gan Fall stays in charge. He is rebranded as a kind, peaceful elder, but he used to be the "God" ruling over colonised land. No Shandian is given official political leadership. No restitution is made.
This is a reconciliation without justice. The land is returned symbolically, but not politically. And that matters.
Skypiea and modern Indigenous rights
Land back is not just about territory. It's about sovereignty, autonomy, and the power to decide the future.
This pattern—where oppressed people are offered symbolic peace without political redress—mirrors real-world dynamics. Especially in settler colonial states like the U.S. and Canada. There, Indigenous peoples are often given apologies and visibility, but not power or land. They still struggle through systemic oppression.
Stories like Skypiea reproduce this logic: the past is smoothed over, and harmony is prioritised over justice.
In Japanese media, this pattern shows up often too. There’s a strong cultural emphasis on harmony (wa) as the ultimate goal. And yes, harmony matters. But when it’s used to avoid confronting past harms, it becomes a mask.
It’s also complicated by Japan’s own colonial history—a history that is rarely acknowledged in popular media. Korea was colonized for decades under brutal assimilation policies that erased language, culture, and identity. Taiwan was ruled by Japan as an imperial outpost, with land seizures, exploitation, and forced Japanization. Okinawa, though part of Japan today, was annexed and militarized—its people treated as expendable, their culture suppressed.
And Japan’s own Indigenous peoples (like the Ainu in Hokkaido and the Ryūkyūans in Okinawa) still face discrimination, cultural erasure, and political invisibility. Official recognition is recent and fragile. Reparations? Nonexistent.
Skypiea mirrors that silence. It offers us reconciliation, but not sovereignty. Peace, but not justice.
Conclusion: a missed opportunity
I usually love how One Piece handles political themes. Punk Hazard, Ohara, and especially Fishman Island all tackle power, violence, memory, and justice in ways I find powerful and nuanced.
But Skypiea missed the mark. It had all the ingredients: a sacred land, a displaced people, a colonial regime, a complex history.
Instead, it said: let’s forget the past and move on. And for a story about freedom… that silence is loud.
What’s frustrating : One Piece can do better. The Fishman Island arc proves it: when it wants to, this story can portray racism, resistance, and liberation with incredible depth. I wrote about two more positive posts :
Freedom isn’t always peaceful – rage and resistance in One Piece & AOT
Yes, One Piece is political and that’s what makes it great
Recently I started doing fresh off reading logs for the newest chapters. You can read them at : One Piece Reading log
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