Monsters is one of Eiichiro Oda’s works included in Wanted!, a compilation of his pre-One Piece stories. It was published back in 1994 in the Autumn Special of Shonen Jump, but how and where does Monsters 103 fit in the One Piece timeline?
Netflix will be streaming Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation on January 22, 2024. Yoshimasa Hosoya (Kaito in Ajin) voices Ryuma, and Kana Hanazawa (Lucy M. in Bungo Stray Dogs) will play Flare.
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Is Monsters 103 Canon?
While Eiichiro Oda didn’t outright confirm that Monsters 103 is canon in his interviews, he did confirm in Volume 47 of SBS that the protagonist, Ryuma, is the same Ryuma from the lore of One Piece.
Oda reused Ryuma’s character in One Piece by making him appear in the Thriller Bark Arc as a zombie.
Before this, he died and was buried in the Ringo region of Wano, but Gecko Moriah stole his corpse, including his Shisui.
On the other hand, fans argue that the events in Monsters 103 do not take place in the same universe as One Piece. This is because the world and the setting, in addition to the lore in Monsters, are very different from One Piece.
How Long Ago Was Monsters 103’s Ryuma Alive?
The legendary samurai, Ryuma, lived 400 years ago, as mentioned in One Piece Magazine Volume 6. He was born into the world-famous Shimotsuki Family of Wano during Wano’s “Country of Gold” era.
In case you didn’t know, Ryuma is the direct ancestor of Ushimaru Shimotsuki, as well as Roronoa Zoro.
How & Where Does Monsters 103 Fit Into the One Piece Timeline? Theories Explained
Unfortunately, there’s no official confirmation of where Monsters 103 fits into the One Piece timeline.
Since the Monsters manga was created by Eiichiro Oda before One Piece, fans assume that it was a prequel story to the events of One Piece.
Still, there’s a lot of argument that the events in Monsters 103 are not canon at all.
Meanwhile, others believe that the events in Monsters 103 happened somewhere around Oars’s time, based on this fan-made timeline. Back then, the Giant Oars terrorized the world as the leader of a country of brigands.
On the other hand, many believe that the events in Monsters 103 did not happen during the Void Century since Ryuma’s records are still intact.
So, what do you think? Where does Eiichiro Oda’s Monsters 103 manga fit into the massive timeline of One Piece? Let us know in the comments!
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