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Discover who the Celestial Dragons are in One Piece. Find how they were created and their role in the series.
One Piece is filled with various groups representing different ideologies and ambitions. The Celestial Dragons generally play an antagonistic role in the series. Depicting the hypocritical rulers of the world, they are infamous among both characters and fans, generating immense hate.
Nevertheless, the history of the Celestial Dragons, its members, and their contribution to One Piece’s themes are crucial to the narrative. To help fans gain a better understanding of this, we have prepared a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know regarding them.
How Was the World Government Formed?
Before we learn about the Celestial Dragons, it is important to know how the World Government was formed. During the Void Century, a supremely powerful kingdom known as the Great Kingdom existed. Joy Boy and other significant figures from this kingdom played a major role in influencing the world’s events.
However, dissatisfied with their progress, an alliance of 20 nations banded together to destroy them toward the end of the Void Century. The defeat of the Great Kingdom made this alliance the de facto major source of power in the world. This allowed them to set up their base in Mary Geoise and eventually form the World Government.
The World Government has banned any flow of information regarding the Void Century and deciphering the Poneglyphs. This is because those who dig deeper can track back the hidden atrocities committed by the World Government and also find the ideals and age of technological advancement ushered by the Great Kingdom.
Who Are the Celestial Dragons in One Piece?
The Celestial Dragons are also known as the World Nobles and refer to 19 out of the 20 families of the alliance who defeated the Great Kingdom. This excludes the Nefertari family who returned to Arabasta instead of shifting to Mary Geoise.
The Celestial Dragons are extremely prideful figures who consider themselves akin to god. They believe they are superior to the common citizens and trample upon them whenever they wish. They can be identified by the bubble-like helmets they wear, signifying that they refuse to breathe the same air as other people.
Each of the Celestial Dragons can use the Marine powers, even having an Admiral at their beck and call. Most of them are also referred as “Saint”, a self-indulgent title meant to show their higher class.
Why Are the Celestial Dragons Hated?
As Eustass Kid mentioned in One Piece, the Celestial Dragons represent everything wrong with the world. They are answerable to no one and wield an extreme amount of influence and power solely because of the family they were born into.
There have been exceptions such as the Nefertari Family who moved to Arabasta and the Donquixote Family who hated the prejudice against the common populace. However, the majority are still very selfish and evil.
The Celestial Dragons live in luxury, enjoying every benefit in the world at the cost of the innocents. They take heavenly tribute from struggling nations and spend it without sympathy. Most of these nobles also own slaves and treat them very poorly, pushing them to the brink of death. Rather than just acquiring captive slaves, however, Celestial Dragons can tend to claim whoever they want.
This was seen in the enraging scene where Charlos tried capturing Shirahoshi. They also hold Native Hunting Competitions, ruthlessly killing citizens in cold blood. All these have led to most people in One Piece hating these World Nobles. Unfortunately, not many dare to raise arms against them for fear of the consequences.
Notable Celestial Dragons in One Piece
There are several notable members of the Celestial Dragons who play a big role in the story. We will not be including the Five Elders and the enigmatic Imu and will focus on those who abuse their authority without ruling the government directly.
- Saint Charlos – As arguably the most hated Celestia Dragon, Charlos is a spoiled and selfish individual who attempted to enslave Shirahoshi.
- Saint Rosward – Charlos’ father who is more responsible than him but still very cruel. He is arrogant, entitled and brutally tortured Kuma.
- Saint Shalria – Rosward’s daughter and Charlos’ sister who is naive, cold and doesn’t care about human life. She showed open discrimination against the Fish-Men and tried killing Camie.
- Saint Pluming – The traditional image of a pampered noble who is willing to kill slaves for any minor misstep but is actually very cowardly.
- Saint Jalmack – The infamous figure who shot Sabo with a gun when the child came in front of his ship.
The most notable ex-Celestial Dragons who embody different perspectives are:
- Donquixote Doflamingo – When his father Homing abandoned his post, Doflamingo personally felt the hatred of the people. This moved him in all the wrong ways, making him a ruthless individual. For the sake of becoming a noble again, he killed his father. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to let the World Government forgive him, making him hate them too.
- Donquixote Corazon – On the other side of the coin, his brother Rosinante, also called Corazon, went through the same experiences. Rather than becoming bitter, he inherited his father’s compassion. Corazon opposed evils done under the name of Absolute Justice and eventually gave up his life to protect Law.
Role of the Celestial Dragons in One Piece
The Celestial Dragons in One Piece play a crucial role in shaping the overarching narrative and spotlighting Luffy’s main goal—freedom. Despite lacking physical powers and being faint-hearted, they wield their privilege to create unchecked chaos.
Their brutal nature and actions often set key events in motion. The Revolutionary Army invading the Levely exemplified this perfectly. The defiance of the pirates, Fish-Men, and all other parties set up the World Nobles as the primary critique of One Piece’s world.
Additionally, this solidifies the position of the protagonist Luffy, whose ideals are the direct opposition to these antagonists. The stark contrast between the oppressors and the oppressed highlights the key themes of One Piece and the quest to uncover all its secrets.
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