AMAZING FISH-MEN BACKSTORY! - One Piece #539

I’m honestly really excited to see how all this fleshes out to me, as well. This is a fascinating look at race relations! 😊

Spaz Boys Comedy

Completely agree all the way! 😊

Spaz Boys Comedy

The thing is I don't think they're trying to redeem Arlong at all. Personally empathy isn't the same as forgiving a persons heinous actions. I think its more an examination of how people like Arlong, Hachin, and Jimbei came to be and have ended up at drastically altered paths from a cycle of hate from both ends. This isn't to say that anyone could have ended up the way Arlong has. Society can make us into horrible people but Arlong is unforgivable beyond what the history can be held accountable for. He's a sick individual who has done nothing but let his heart fester with hate and even enjoyed bringing misery to others. This is alot like Pain from Naruto for me in which what his actions aren't forgiven just because of his past. it just shows that there's a history of turmoil in the world that deserves to be made right. But what change in the world if possible can ever fix things like slavery and parent murder and what can our strawhats possibly do against the weight of such a dark history? I'm excited to see how you feel going further into the fishman's arc! ^^

SlushiesAndStuff

Even during the Arlong Park arc Hachi was so happy to give Zoro a lift. So, from my eyes, he's always been a loveable character who during that arc just happened to fall on the enemies side. He was quite literally the comic-relief of the crew. Arlong on the other hand was just an evil dude who happened to be racist. I'm not going to classify them as a different species because they can breed fertile offspring with humans. So, again you can be racist and not kill someone in front of their children and then kidnap one of those children and give them hope of freedom by collecting a set amount of money only to take it away from them at the last second. Arlong is a piece of shit because he's a piece of shit who used racism as a way to "justify" his piece of shitiness. Just because he used it to justify doesn't mean that it's a valid justification. I also really like that Nami wants to hear out Jimbei and doesn't just assume because of his past affiliations with Arlong that he must also be the same type of piece of shit person that Arlong was.

Jake from SF

i don't think your first point really matters here, the moment you paint a skull and crossbones one your flag, everybody has the right to suspect the worst of you.

Karlimero

A fumi-e (踏み絵, fumi "stepping-on" + e "picture") was a likeness of Jesus or Mary onto which the religious authorities of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan required suspected Christians (Kirishitan) to step, in order to demonstrate that they were not members of that outlawed religion. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumi-e) I've heard of tales where the Nazis did similar things, since they eventually wanted to get rid of conventional religions as well. It didn't go quite as well, but it shows the kind of mentality you need to have to use pictures for people to step on.

Aeco

Which one?

V_VMat

Oh god oh no...4kids arlong flashbacks...

Wishmaker007

Sure does reflect a lot of problems we have in our own society..and if you cant pay the cash you're out with the trash

Arlong backstory! jk I know that you can’t forgive him and I’m pretty much in the same boat as I consider him to be in my top 3 villains of one piece along with the celestial dragons where I really wish he was brutally rearranged if you know what I mean. But that’s why there was such a discussion to be had in the comments of that video where you said you didn’t care about arlong’s past because the problem seems to be bigger and more complicated than just arlong where there’s a deep rooted cause ( which I think stems from the celestial dragons ) and that "problem" can create more arlongs or hody jones in the world so it’s very interesting to be able to dissect this history flashback and pinpoint the causes and effects. I personally think this story or arc overall I guess tackles the issue of racism or speciesism very well with many perspectives being considered both positive and negative and not really providing an answer but diving into the many possibilities of what could be the hopeful change, I personally got my answer which I’ll give at the end of the flashback but I’m curious about how well this arc tackles ( yes wrestler pun ) the issue from your perspective, so feel free to let us know what you think Curtis if this arc approached the subject appropriately or not. Also p.s, sucks that baby arlong got corrupted as well as others, adult Arlong can get magma fisted over and over again :)

Wishmaker007

And I still stand by it... I didn't have to include that one reference to Fish-Men in general in there, but I stand firmly behind everything else.

Spaz Boys Comedy

Yup, it certainly is sadly reflective of the real world.

Spaz Boys Comedy

*Sees Video Uploaded* *Clears Throat* “And I quote....” https://imgur.com/a/mMYGgNQ (Make sure to unmute sound)

Brother E

It didn't actually say what prison he is in.

The issue tackled is very relevant especially now. While there can be rational people from each race/color who would come to an understanding, there would also be extremists who would just hate everyone from the other side who they deem made their existence miserable.

Vincent

Arlong's not dead. He's in Impel Down, which, as we saw, is arguably far worse than death.

GoldArthur

I'm with you on that. The issue they touched upon in this arc is racism which comes from judging people from a collective. Like how the citizens of Fishman island suspect the strawhats because they don't know about mr swamp doofus. I've always believed that people are accountable as individuals. Like when Zoro pointed out that arlong was a pirate acting on his own when the crew was planning to go to fishman island. As an individual Arlong shot a single mother and enslaved a young girl who had nothing to do with the slave trade. He deserves the hate he gets.