#celestial dragons

[aki-bara]

How ONE PIECE Took Over My Life -- Tom H. Jordan

[cosmique-oddity]

All my homies hate celestial dragon

[cerberus-bites]

Daddy Imu came back to pick up his gang of spoiled brats—

[femmefangirl]

I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I FUCKING KNEW IT I SWEAR TO ALL THE GODS ABOVE I AM GOING INSANE TODAY WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK IIM GOING ATUALLY ISNANE.

MONKEY D DRAGON MY DARLING BOY I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUU THE ONLY APPROPRIATE REACTION TO CELESTIAL DRAGONS IS TO SHOOT THEM IDGAF

[i-am-grell]

brooo quit googling shit omg we're in the middle of a raid

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 |

Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54

[actuallyazombie]

What's in a design - The Celestial Dragons

In this post, I will analyze the outfits worn by the Celestial Dragons. I'll give a list of Oda's possible inspirations and the narrative implications of it all.

I'll begin by the most obvious one, who was pointed out in multiple reddit posts :

Part 1 : The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Yes ! It's Robin Williams !

It's a 1988 fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliams narrating the life of German nobleman Baron of Munchausen. At one point, the baron flies away to the Moon and meets the King and Queen of the Moon (see the picture above).

Their costumes are eerily reminiscent of the Celestial Dragons, especially their strange hairdo and the barroque spacesuit. Their hairstyle looks like a violin's Peg-Box (the handle part).

Both of their clothing are odd and over-the-top. It shows their arrogance and their separation from regular people.

Instead of making them look noble or respectable, these fashion choices look ridiculous and impractical, despite their power over everyone else.

Part 2 : Ancient Japanese nobility

At the same time, Oda blends in elements of Japanese Heian-era nobility. Both male and female Celestial Dragons wear outfits that resemble the junihitoe (Wikipedia article here for more info), a traditional ten-layered kimono worn by aristocrats during the Heian period (8th century AC to 12th century AC). The junihitoe was a symbol of nobility and elegance but it was also heavy and restrictive. You can't put it alone and you cannot run in it. This fits the Celestial Dragons perfectly : their status traps them just as much as it elevates them, making them prisoners of their own privilege.

You can see the layered kimonos peaking out of their suit in the right image.

This has interesting lore implications. The One Piece equivalent of Japan is very clearly Wano, a land unaffiliated with the World Government. So why does the Celestial Dragons have Japanese elements to their clothing ? It could be an aesthetic choice by Oda, a Japanese author writing primarily for a Japanese audience using what he knows.

But there might be something more to it. In Wano, we were introduced to its nobility : the Shogun and its family (the Kouzuki clan), the 5 daimyos and their samurais.

Oda is using the social hierarchy of Edo-era Japan to write Wano. But one element is missing : the Emperor. It could be due the Chrysanthemum taboo present in some Japanese media (see the Wikipedia page here). The emperor didn't hold much power for most of Japanese history so he could have been written off due to lack of relevance.

Interestingly, the Japanese nobility is divided into 2 branches : the kuge (court nobility) and the military class (the shogun, the daimyo and the samurais). The kuge and the Emperor used to be the ruling class during the Heian era. But they were eventually taken over by the samurai class. We don't see the emperor or the kuge in Wano. However we do see elements of their clothing through the Celestial Dragons.

This pyramid represents the hierarchy during the Edo period.

There also could be a case argued that part of Wano nobility and its emperor joined the Celestial Dragons but the military nobility (the shogun and its samurais) rebelled. It could mirror real-life Japanese history : at the end of the Heian era, the samurais basically took over

Part 3 : The French

"Let them eat cake !" an infamous quote by Marie-Antoinette, probably uttered by a Celestial Dragon at some point in One Piece as well.

Like French aristocrats before the French Revolution, the Celestial Dragons wear extravagant, flashy outfits that show off their wealth and power. Like the World Noble, the French nobility before the Revolution is associated with extreme inequality and abuse of power.

Mary Geoise is modeled after the French castle of Chambord (photo taken from this reddit post).

The regular Celestial Dragons' fashion doesn't show strong French inspirations. But it has its exceptions :

Donquixote Homing's long hair and rolled curls are reminiscent of the fashionable hairstyles of the 18th century.

The God's Knight are the Frenchiest of them all, as their outfits are directly inspired by real-life French clothing of the period.

The 18th century male suit is composed of 3 parts : the coat (1), the waistcoat (2) and the breeches (3). Oda used the same combinaison with Shanks and Shamrock's outfits in the recent chapter.

Shanks is wearing heavily embroidered cuff sleeves with a ruffles beneath, taken straight out of a 18th century nobleman closet.

Oda draws him with a jabot, a decorative piece of clothing and a staple of 18th century fashion, and with what appears to be a jeweled brooch. You can notice it is seen on other characters of noble origin like Sabo or his adopted brother Stelly.

The French military uniforms of the 18th and early 19th century inspired him as well when it comes to the current Holy Knights' uniform.

Those boots are called in French bottes à l'écuyère, riding boots basically. You can see multiple God's Knights wearing these. Some of them also have white pants commonly seen in old French military uniforms.

They all wear épaulettes (ornemental shoulder pieces) on their coat, which can also be seen on the high ranking officers of the Marines and in some pirates crew as well.

Shamrock (as well as Sommers and Garling) can be seen with aiguillettes (braided cords worn on military uniforms) adoring his coat.

Part 4 : Astronauts

The Space Pirates shown in Enel's cover story and their pressure suits show some similarities with the CD's "spacesuit".

The first thing most people notice about the Celestial Dragons is the bubble helmet they wear over their heads. They use it so they don’t have to breathe the same air as common people. The helmet acts like a barrier between them and the rest of the world. It shows that they see themselves as above everyone else and don’t want any real connection with society.

But it also continues the "space aesthetic" that is used with the World Government. The Gorosei, elder stars, are each associated with a planet. The Empty Throne looks like a map of the constellations.

[willofdpeople]

Oh, the subtle brilliance of how Luffy being elated at having a wanted poster after Arlong Park in turn distracts us from how he's getting a bounty for liberating a village.

[soundbuster]

Why the World Nobles fear Zaza.

It's fitting that the World Nobles are terrified of the rain god Zaza as the sky is the one thing not below them.

They see themselves as gods in the summit of the world, so the idea of a force being above them is a constant disproof of their divinity.

Back to what Killingham said, those born "above the clouds" will be terrified of factors they cannot control.

Same can be said for Nika, the 'sun god,' another deity associated with the sky.

What god fears Heaven?