One Piece is one of the most popular and longest running manga and anime series of all time. Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew as he aims to become King of the Pirates. With over 1000 chapters of the manga released and over 1000 episodes of the anime, One Piece has introduced countless characters and villains over the decades. But who was the very first villain to appear in the story?
Who Was The First Villain In Chapter 1?
To find the first villain in One Piece, we have to go all the way back to Chapter 1 of the manga, which was released in Japan in August 1997 in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
The very first chapter, titled “Romance Dawn” introduces us to the protagonist Monkey D. Luffy as a young boy living in Foosha Village. He looks up to the infamous pirate Red-Haired Shanks and wishes to join his crew.
In this small village, Luffy gets bullied by a group of mountain bandits led by Higuma. After Luffy stands up to Higuma in the bar, Higuma takes revenge by dumping Luffy in the ocean knowing he ate a Devil Fruit and cannot swim. Luffy is then saved by Shanks but loses an arm in the process.
So the very first villain we are introduced to in the entire One Piece series is the mountain bandit leader Higuma. He sets the events in motion that shape Luffy’s journey to become a pirate and leads to Shanks losing his arm.
Higuma’s Backstory
Higuma is the leader of a group of mountain bandits that terrorize Foosha Village and come into town to drink. He is arrogant and demands sake for free, threatening anyone who does not obey.
Not much is known about Higuma’s background other than he led a group of mountain bandits. He used his group’s strength in numbers to intimidate and extort the people of Foosha Village.
Higuma appears to be a relatively weak fighter on his own. When Luffy challenges him to a fight, he relies on dirty tricks like taking a hostage and dumping Luffy in the ocean to gain the upper hand.
Overall, Higuma serves as an early antagonist to showcase Luffy’s courageous spirit. Luffy stands up to the bandits to defend Shanks’ honor, establishing the core of his character right from Chapter 1.
Higuma Meets His Demise
After dumping Luffy into the ocean to drown, Higuma tries to flee on a small boat believing he is safe. However, he is soon surrounded by a massive Sea King monster that emerges from the ocean.
In one of the most iconic scenes in One Piece history, Shanks scares off the Sea King with his powerful Conqueror’s Haki, saving Luffy’s life. The Sea King then turns its attention to Higuma and eats him whole.
Thus, Higuma meets a gruesome demise and becomes the very first villain to be killed off in the series. It’s a memorable scene that shows the dangers of the sea in the One Piece world. Higuma underestimated his environment and paid the ultimate price.
Why Higuma Was The Perfect First Villain
Looking back, Higuma was the perfect choice to be the first villain introduced in One Piece. Here’s why:
- He allowed Luffy to showcase his courage and devil-may-care attitude. Luffy’s fight against the bandits foreshadowed his future as a fearless pirate.
- He served as the perfect benchmark to display Shanks’ power later on. Seeing Shanks scare off the massive Sea King put his strength into perspective.
- His arrogant and selfish personality made him very hatable. Having him eat den by the Sea King felt like justice served.
- He kickstarted Luffy’s backstory and journey to become a pirate in an impactful way. His actions indirectly turned Luffy into who he is.
- He was a small-time villain befitting of the first chapter of the story. The series properly built up to powerful villains like Crocodile and Doflamingo later on.
For a short-lived character, Higuma left a lasting first impression as the starting point for Luffy’s adventure. All great journeys need to start somewhere small.
Higuma’s Legacy
Despite only appearing in the first chapter, Higuma managed to leave a lasting legacy in the world of One Piece:
- He was featured again during a flashback in Episode 4 of the anime adaptation.
- He indirectly inspired Luffy to become a powerful pirate and gather his Straw Hat crew.
- Losing his arm to Higuma shaped Shanks’ story moving forward.
- His Sea King death showed the dangers of the world Luffy was sailing into.
- Bandits are featured multiple times throughout the series, reminding readers of Higuma.
- Foosha Village decorates the scene of his demise.
- The incident turns Luffy into an icon in Foosha Village.
For such a minor character, Higuma had an outsized influence on the entire One Piece story. Without him, Luffy’s origins could have looked very different.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while short-lived, the mountain bandit Higuma serves as the very first villain introduced in the manga series One Piece. He appears in Chapter 1 bullying Luffy which leads to Shanks losing his arm. Higuma then meets his demise when he is eaten by a Sea King.
As the first antagonist, Higuma was the perfect choice to kickstart Luffy’s journey and display Shanks’ power. He laid the groundwork for all the epic villains and storylines to come in the decades afterwards. One Piece starts off small with Higuma, but grows into an epic from those humble roots. Over 1000 chapters later, fans will never forget the arrogant bandit from Luffy’s village who shaped One Piece into what it is today.