Here is everything you need to know about One Piece: things Oda planned for years.

Sanji As A Prince

Sanji is the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the most important characters in the series. As a part of the East Blue 5, he is at the core of the Straw Hats, and, as a result, Oda tends to throw some more attention his way. Sanji was revealed in Whole Cake Island to be a Prince of the Germa Kingdom.

This came as a shock to the vast majority of the fans, however, Oda had planned this year in advance. In fact, hints about it were dropped as early as the Arabasta Arc and, at the same time, the Sky Island Saga also dropped subtle bits of information about Sanji actually being from the North Blue.

Read this: 5 Old One Piece Episodes That Still Hold Up

The Introduction Of Sabo

Sabo is a character that the fans were properly introduced to in the flashback of Luffy. He was presumed to have died in the flashback, however, in Dressrosa, Sabo was revealed to be alive.

Sabo is a character that a lot of fans assume to be a last-minute addition to the story. However, his character was planned years in advance. Ace’s tribute to Sabo through his crossed-out tattoo had actually existed from his very introduction.

Nika

Nika, the Sun God, was introduced very recently in One Piece towards the climax of the Wano arc. However, the concept of Nika was actually planned by Oda long ago. In fact, the Sun God was actually mentioned for the very first time during the Skypiea arc.

At the same time, Fishmen who were discriminated against ended up creating the Sun Pirates under Fisher Tiger. Furthermore, the hoof of the Celestial Dragon was also covered up with the mark of the sun. If that wasn’t enough, Otohime often compared life under the sun to freedom. Clearly, Oda had planned the Sun God Nika plotline years in advance and incorporated it into the story in Wano.

Time Travel

Time travel is another major thing that Oda planned years in advance in One Piece. This major revelation was made during the Wano arc of the story. Kin’emon revealed that he, along with Momonosuke, Kanjuro, Kikunojo, and Raizo had come from the future.

Hints for it were provided to the fans years ago, during the Zou arc. Momonosuke mentioned that he had met Roger, despite being just 8 years old. At the time, fans dismissed it as one of his lies, however, it proved to be significant later on.

Read this: One Piece: Top Mysterious Characters, Ranked

The SMILE Fruit Plot

The SMILE Fruits were incredibly important to the overarching plot of the Four Emperors Saga. Especially the Wano arc, where the truth about them was finally revealed. These SMILE Fruits were artificially created Devin Fruits that granted powers to one in 10 fruit users.

The SMILE Fruit plotline was actually conceived long before the time skip. They were mentioned for the very first time on Sabaody when Doflamingo was speaking to Disco.