Dante's Inferno Reveals A LOT About the ENTIRE Series | One Piece

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[@ChettahZpeed]

The menstrual blood leads into a kitchen is definitely a sentence I never thought I’d hear but here I am proven wrong

[@merphynapier42]

😅

[@royalfun1031]

🗿

[@notrixamoris3318]

​@@merphynapier42 read MHA and the promised neverland and I hope you are enjoying dragon bal...🎼7 magic balls🎵

[@Rirawl1]

I thought about Soylent System.

[@Jd-ace]

bro its real im here too

[@cl-hx]

The idea of Buggy as Virgilio accompanying Luffy as Dante through hell was so funny as an italian who has to study all of the divine comedy in school lol

[@anamericanseoul1391]

I also love the parallel of the people Luffy encounters with every level that he goes down. Each is a former enemy of his, and every one is more powerful. We start with Buggy, who by all accounts, was not really the biggest threat in the first place and end with Crocodile, who gave Luffy the hardest fight of his life up to that point. Couple that with the fact that Magellan is one of the only antagonists that Luffy never beats, and you got yourself one of the best arcs in One Piece.

[@imrpbtw]

I grew up in Thailand, a very Buddhist country, and hearing about Buddhist hells from you, unironically, gave me joy lol. The 3rd level hell of the version that I grew up learning about also has thorned trees, but instead of hot ladies luring them, there would be guards with spears and spikes to chase the hell residents up the tree, and when they reach the top, they would get pecked down by crows. You can actually see the depiction of the version I mentioned in the mural you flashed on the screen.

[@kringhetto]

Please keep this series going. Your research is better than 99% of the theory crafters I see, and you're not even theory crafting! Dragon ball is amazing. I just finished rereading it this week!

[@briancfield]

16:33 fun fact: level 5.5 was originally made by Morley(giant rev. Commander)!

[@LorenzoWTartari]

As an Italian it's so great to see that Dante's works are known and appreciated abroad! Dante is to Italian what Shakespeare is to English, most people in italy don't appreciate his works because they are forced to learn about it in school but the divine comedy truly is a masterpiece and it just fills me with joy to see people who recognize its greatness

[@AnyMEmdq]

And Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, is the Spanish Dante/Shakespeare, with Don Quixote being his Divine Comedy/Romeo & Juliet (known at least by name, and often misquoted, all around the world). I love Oda taking little bits from these amazing works and sprinkling them through the story, things that you definitely don't need to know for the story to work, but if you do, it works even better

[@diablejambe3460]

Didnt know about this, very interesting. Will look it up online and see what i can find and maybe read their work, thanks to both of u.

[@gordogonk8068]

I took a course on it in highschool, was very interesting!

[@ANunes06]

I absolutely *eat up* early examples of The Heroes Journey in Literature because the authors didn't know they were doing that and so they tend to be so "non-formulaic". They were writing stories as allegories or morality plays or whatever and just happened to stumble into the most relatable narrative construct possible. That said ... Don Quixote stands alone as a work that was written by some kind of time traveller who knew about things like "tropes" and "memes" and found great joy in breaking them down with almost *postmodern* levels of meta-irony. Italian lit doesn't get enough love outside of the country, but The Divine Comedy simply can't be denied. I went to school with a few devout Hindu students and it was the *only* work of classical western literature focused on Christianity that they enjoyed *at all*. And they flippin' loved it so much it made them want to learn more about Christianity. Fortunately, I was able to warn them that Christian lore makes Hindu lore look like Dragon Ball Z and that TDC and Paradise Lost are as good as it gets.

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@ANunes06 There's a reason Cervantes is regarded as the creator of the modern novel, but if you want to name a classic author as a time traveller, that title belongs to Verne. Most of his work would now be considered adventure, and kids could say "What's the big deal about flying in balloons around the world? A jet can do it much faster" and we've all heard the recent news about a submarine. But when wrote that, it was heavy sci-fi, things most people couldn't even dream of. You tell me Verne was a time traveller, and I'll believe it, the guy knew stuff he shouldn't have

[@bnhjbnhjkkbnhjk]

Love the comparison and understanding of how One Piece and Dante relate. I recently read "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy and it feels like a great relation to One Piece. If you haven't read it, would recommend as it would make a great analysis and comparison,

[@DanaArena]

Impel down is probably the arc that I've re-read the most because every time I read it I have such a blast, it's like a lsd trip of pure chaos, I feel that Luffy, Buggy, Bon Clay and Ms.3 are the four horseman of the apocalypse inside the very hellish world that is impel down xD. You did an amazing job in this video, it was very interesting listening to the comparison, I hope you do more of this, I've loved the Dressrosa video and this was fantastic too, great work !

[@riatsila144]

"There's a lot of Moon symbolism with...Blackbeard" Garling: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@chiaramilanoli1997]

As an Italian talking about the Divine Comedy gives me war flashbacks to high school and uni but we focused so much on it in literature because it's truly a masterpiece and also the role it had on the formation of the Italian language. It was actually really fun back when I read Impel Down to spot the references to the Inferno and how Oda was inspired by it

[@uwu_owo186]

The amount of research Merphy did for this video is deeper and more thorough than some pubmed articles

[@Lucideyes89]

This is the reason I love having you in the One Piece community. You are uniquely qualified for these deep dives that no other one piece KZbinr can make. Please don't give up on this series! I would love for you to do drum island allegories next because I know there are some deep cuts there with Frankenstein and Santa Claus

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

Most one piece KZbinrs are more focused on power scaling despite the inconsistency in one piece

[@requiem6465]

​@Dave_of_Mordor Yeah, it's weird. One piece may be a battle manga, but its focus is on the characters, the world, and the sense of adventure.

[@42ndLife]

By your reading Amazon Lilly would have parallels with chapter one of Inferno -- the wild lands out side of Hell that are inhospitable to outsiders and filled with dangerous fauna.

[@kneau]

Hancock maybe serves as a flip of Beatrice?

[@42ndLife]

@@kneau I would say that Ace is Beatrice and that Boa Hancock is a mix of Virgil & King Minos.

[@kneau]

@@42ndLife that does seem _far_ more apt.

[@tforin1852]

With BB he has already broken one vow that we know of. Killing a crew member while he was in WB's crew.

[@zack_feldman]

“It’s not super readable” so accurate. You have to sit with all of the references to Italian nobility and political structure, then biblical knowledge, and mythological knowledge…it’s a lot

[@fizzle7421]

Idk if you have a script or not, but i like that your not reading one. It certainly doesn't look like it anyway. It feels really natural and i like it. Great video.

[@TengoSuenho]

I've just realize that the person that takes the place of Virgilio in Impel Down is Bon Chan, as the one that guides Luffy for most of its journey, but cannot leave Hell and has to be left behind T-T

[@reirei7086]

Love this series…super interesting to see all these interesting parallels and references Oda puts into his work so meticulously ❤

[@god47398]

absolutely nothing shocked me more than the change in outro music. the world truly is coming to an end. great vid btw, very very informative and i cant wait for more

[@ratiuvictor9533]

5.5 New Kama Land was created by Morley the giant from the Revolutionary army. He escaped from Impel Down with his devil fruit

[@MassiveEffect]

She

[@pandanganmatiyn1487]

I did not know that. Is that canon? 😮

[@ratiuvictor9533]

@@pandanganmatiyn1487 It is I just forgot

[@aritrasaha441]

How did she escape..its underwater. Also did she not went in as a prisoner? She had to have sea stone cuffs on

[@ratiuvictor9533]

@@aritrasaha441 They probably didn't know she had the Push Push fruit. She probably push the Earth under the sea floor to escape. If she can go with the devil fruit up to marigeois inside the red line she could definitely go throw the sea floor throw the walls of Impel Dawn

[@dontaecrowder7952]

Damn, Merphy you snapped on this video.

[@casvandijck9338]

Thanks for explaining the mythos around roses, you just clarified quite a bit about a completely different story. I knew The Dark Tower (which is one of my favorite series, sharing the first place with One Piece) had a religious undertone with Maturin the turtle and all that, but this really sheds a new light on the rose. Edit: Also thanks for biting through the depressing bit of reading up on pain and suffering =) It can be... something.

[@Rishain]

impel down is my third favorite arc to im always happy to see more on it

[@HeidiMalagisi]

Dante was very dark in his Divine Comedy. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Keep up the great work.

[@flouredfly3055]

Hi! Italian speaker here so sorry if my english is not on point, I hope you can still understand. Love to see someone else outside of my country that not only read One piece, but also the Divina Commedia and has the reading ability to make the connection between the two works, in the Italian One piece community is obviously a must connection, such as the Water Seven with Venezia (Venice), but outside of my country is a rarity that you should be proud of. Also, aside from the compliment, I want to suggest you to check the two fantastic work of Go Nagai, Mao Dante, witch is basically the inferno chant in manga format, and Devilman, witch is the father of the shounen and truly a work of art in storytelling that is still inspiring most of the Manga author in Japan. Also, when you have a chance, I hope you can come to Italy to see how Venice is practically an explorable Water Seven 😂

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Thumbnail got me imagining Merphy trying to get Luffy to read Loc Lamorah or something and him just picking his nose going "sounds boring"

[@victoriabertinat7850]

Sorry for errors, not an english native speaker So, can we talk about the inversions that Oda made? I found two (three) that really stood out for me: Beatrice and how Luffy came there. Because, Dante is in love with Beatrice, and she goes to receibe him at the gates of heaven; and.... you know, she is the most beatiful and pure women to Dante. But in One Piece, we have a very beautiful woman (pure in the sense of mad in maiden love) that takes luffy to hell. She sneakes him INTO hell, and saw him came into the other side. And that leaves my to the othe incersion: Dante gets attacked and dragged into the adventure, Luffy choses it

[@ratiuvictor9533]

Impel Down is such a fun arc definitely in my top 5 arks

[@Nick_Orion]

Your videos are just fun ....10/10 keep up the awesome hard work you love to do ...

[@nikgokuhil]

I wonder if Oda pulled from multiple hells from all around the world. It is quite like him to combine multiple things in one arc. Also, I do hope you get to read Mushishi

[@AnyMEmdq]

Oh, he definitely did. In fact, even pulling from Dante alone means you pulled from different Hells, because that's what Dante himself did xD He took at least one version of Buddhist Hell, if not several, of course Catholic Hell and Purgatory, and Greek Hell. And everything points to Oda taking from Dante and at least one version of Buddhist Hell, as well as common tropes of Christian Hell

[@nikgokuhil]

​@@AnyMEmdq Yup, I was gonna mention greek one myself and Oda knows a bit of hinduism too and there are hells that have starvation, forest where palm trees have swords as leaves, poison, etc. in its version of hell Egypt has part where bad person is devoured and his existence is eliminated completely, that could be a reference to final level of Impel Down

[@maximwb237]

Yay, more amazing content from One Piece mixed with culture & literature, thanks a lot Napier 😍💖✨⚡🔥

[@Beaverghost6500]

For some reason, I thought you were an English Major this whole time. Bravo for speaking this deeply about literary themes and works. It is definitely not easy to do, but you are great at literary analysis.

[@kikikhalil3681]

thnx for sharing gustave dore's prints of the divine comedy i didnt see them in a long time

[@nathancarter8239]

You sure did a *hell* of a job on this one!

[@notrippe]

You are quickly becoming one of my favorite OP content creators. Keep up the wonderful work!

[@paiyash5383]

Good thumbnail ❤

[@FerShibli]

I love this kind of analysis! ❤❤❤ This was epic! Thank you so much for this video

[@momoz4427]

Awesome stuff Merphy!✌️

[@TheNeojanus1]

Really loved this video

[@letsbefrank9670]

Hands down my favorite booktuber! The fact that you can see these connections is so awesome! Can’t wait for one piece to pick back up! So many questions need answers!

[@holden190]

I studied “The Divine Comedy” in grad school. It’s a wonderful poem, with Virgil accompanying Dante through the levels of hell.

[@keravnos2231]

"Worry about your own fortunes gentlemen. The deepest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers" - Captain Jack Sparrow

[@15irwisa]

Thoroughly enjoyed this Murph!!

[@sonea9444]

okay that was a fun ride. Looking forward to more videos of this series ❤😂

[@esoler787]

What do you mean you're not a scholar, I don't know what you think a scholar is but by definition a scholar is a person who studies any subject in great detail. Your videos are amazing, and the amount of research and study that goes into making them is no joke and it's something to be proud of, you're videos are akin to Thesis not only in Literature but in Sociology and Pop Culture as well. So as a University Professor, I grant you the title of One Piece Scholar. Keep up the amazing work you're doing!! 😊👍

[@kinggrimm3296]

MY RAT QUEEN! 🙌🙌

[@aigleincomments9532]

@merphy hope you add "the journey to the west" to these series. it gives alot of parallels espec bout the crew.

[@samuraiguy27]

Great video! Thanks for taking a deep dive into such an interesting topic. Loved it.

[@pandanganmatiyn1487]

Please do more of this videos/series, as an English Major, I loved it!! ❤

[@AnyMEmdq]

SPOILERS FOR ANIME ONLY The 5 planets listed by Dante are those 5, because they are literally known as The Five Elder Planets. Yes, Oda told us their names since their very introduction, and we didn't realize (and I'm positive he revelled on every second we spent without noticing, because he is a massive troll). The are referred as such because all 5 of them had been discovered centuries or even millennia BC, and they were known by every ancient civilization, from China to Babylonia, from the Egyptian to the Persian Empire. The 3 newer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (yes Pluto is a planet again, it got de-demoted), were only discovered in the 18th and 19th century (so after Dante wrote The Divine Comedy).

[@boghag]

My googling didn't reveal anything about Pluto being reinstated, only an old April Fools. Do you have a source?

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@boghag No, and maybe it's not, I just remember seeing it on the news about 4-5 years ago. Almost positive it was 2019, as I remember talking about it with my students short before covid left me without a job. But again, might have been fake news and I'm talking out of my ass

[@kneau]

At this time (2023/06/26), Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet. In 2019, the US Library of Congress formally answered, "Why is Pluto no longer a planet?" This explains what a dwarf planet is & why the IAU downgraded Pluto to be known as one in 2006.

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@kneau Then I got fed fake news by the news, not surprised

[@kneau]

@@AnyMEmdq understandable; schools have only recently taken to teaching media literacy.

[@Wouter_K]

It is so much fun to see how you can really set your teeth in these analyses and after all the work you're still sparkling and gushing. Thanks for this, very engaging, and informative as well!

[@PablitaOrtega77]

what a joy to have this video i miss one piece so much

[@rachel_v_k]

Hi, Merphy! I enjoyed this video very much. You took the analysis to another level and it was entertaining and fun, despite the serious topics. Much love and blessings! 🤗❤️💖💜🙏✨🏴‍☠️✨🔥🐓🔥👍

[@magnettoa]

As for a character the represents the moon we did see a guy who was the former ruler of God Valley in the same chapter with the other big name drops

[@merphynapier42]

I had recorded a bit about him too but ended up cutting it because I didn’t have enough to say around it other than “moon hair” lol. But I’m definitely keeping an eye on him!

[@metalbuddha9782]

@@merphynapier42 I mean... He lost his country, right? So maybe he is still loyal to his duties but he can't fulfill it.

[@danielcesar664]

this type of video is amazing

[@B_riP419]

I’m late to this video (2 weeks) but it was wonderful, lead me to the subscribe button. Been a fan of your work, mostly one piece content and collaborations with GLR.

[@thomaschason1855]

This is my favorite section of the story (End of Thriller Bark when Kuma comes, to end of Post War) and this was such a cool video. Was waiting for a more in depth video to draw out those possible connections Oda used and i was blown away.

[@Punspitter]

I love these videos! I've always thought we needed to appreciate all the references and genius of one Eichiro Oda

[@thewillofdreams6921]

Loved your analysis! The faith, hope, love could represent the other celestial objects/ancient weapons or their avatars shirohoshi n momo. Don't forget Empyrean the place god resides that look like imu's eyes.

[@1000Tomatoes]

For other literary connections in one piece, Chopper's whole story really seems like a reference to Frankenstein. Even it being on a winner island seems like a reference to the confrontation on top of a glacier.

[@mattpreece6106]

Always enjoy some literary comparisons. It's kind of your unique value given your reading background. Thank you for this one with all the effort you said it took ^^

[@isabellas.novack4727]

As an italian who studied it thoroughly in school, I relate so hard to you saying "it's not super readable" 😂 understatement of the century 😅

[@Shadyguy111]

Buddhism does have the concept of the "Hungry Ghost" realm. It's not exactly part of hell or a punishment, but with enough bad karma a being can be reincarnated as a hungry ghost. The image is of an endlessly hungry being with a tiny mouth that can never satisfy itself. Sorry to anyone offended if I got some of that wrong.

[@dweblinveltz5035]

Ohhh, Murphy reading Monster. 20th Century Boys is also pretty good.

[@diddyknux]

I'm loving these videos where you explain the inspirations and parallels Oda pulls from both real life and other stories.

[@paulopettoruti7030]

beautifull essay, thanks for the spoiler alert!

[@saroojanvasanthakumar1510]

I remember when you were going through the series and us fans would tell you and explain aspects of the series but now the tables have turned and you are educating us on Odas series😂

[@Nationalist83833]

Loved the effort put into this video! Very informative and I loved how you tied it together to One piece!

[@SR-kh6yq]

Small correction: the Divine Comedy Is set in the year 1300 and was written a few years later, not the 1400s

[@Padovanm125]

FINALLY. This is a deep dive I’ve been waiting for someone to cover.

[@HeadSh0tProductions]

Great video!

[@riduanaqil1452]

I think you could also connect Bon Clay's sacrifice to that one pretty important guy that got left behind at the end of Purgatory Also, what you said got me thinking a little bit about BB and i think it's kinda interesting that he and Kaido are trying to do the opposite of what each other are doing at the same time. Kaido is trying to make an unaffiliated country into a pirate utopia while BB is trying to make a pirate utopia into an affiliated country

[@bryebaker3343]

I love how you stop to question if the video will do well or is a good idea 😂

[@qi6kq]

this was a very interesting video

[@genesisfrog]

I really love this series! Getting an extra layer of story to analyze is such an interesting way to approach One Piece. It makes me wonder if there are any connections which could be drawn between Frankenstein and Thriller Bark? Hogback does seem like a bit of a Victor Frankenstein figure

[@Potato_dapotato]

For level 5.5/newkama land I have found something in Norse mythology the frozen area with giants has a rainbow that goes to Asgard

[@gaponyarepsag4099]

Wow this is good video

[@BidwellRunner]

I've read a lot of analyses by lit majors, and your analyses are generally better.

[@SirLance48]

MERPHY! I was thinking there’s probably some material of comparison to be observed between Franky and Mary Shelley’s Modern Prometheus Frankenstein. There’s a lot to be observed from the value of having something to love. The creation of a person from parts. The death of a creator/mentor caused by the created/mentored. And the huge parallels I’m just noticing.

[@barrow_3490]

I love mythology and religious stories, combine those with One Piece - what's not to love! Great video

[@Ghostreader198]

I’d love to see you tackle the Peter Pan references in Alabasta

[@riosunlimited7413]

this is a pretty epic vid

[@KosmicJr100]

This was a very enlightening and entertaining video. I'm not sure if the Dante Inferno connection has been explained this well before but Impel Down is gonna have the craziest parallel arc in the New World because it is, hands down, the greatest prison break.

[@RaidSpinel]

The section on the moon means something very different with our recent revelations about Figarland Garling

[@AnyMEmdq]

1:30 Those people surely ignore that Dante took inspiration from Buddhist Hell for the Divine Comedy

[@vixvox7948]

soe ideas are universal, ideas of creation are common among many things, drawing connections to other works is a great way to find a possible path for the future of One Piece. Something that isn't necessarily drawn from another work can be linked. I don't think Oda specifically drew the idea of a hellish place like Impel down and the journey their but once the idea was formed, a similar story could be used as reference material or something.

[@BriGuy-ed5dr]

Faith, hope, and love could be Jimbie, Zoro, and Sanji. Jimbie has faith in luffy to save Fishman, Zoro hopes to achieve the pinical of power, and Sanji loves being a simp

[@aurid6838]

Also check out paradise lost, pandemonium looks exactly like the ancient kingdom !!

[@aurid6838]

Also there is a bridge being build and other references

[@fafiade]

This is a great video

[@2gjones1]

The stars could represent the D clan.

[@schmae3503]

There's a lot of talk about roosters in this video. Not complaining, just wasn't what I expected.

[@Axel-VIII]

Going by what you are saying about the moon I believe the best parallel would be Eneru, since he failed to keep his bow to destroy Skypeia and was dethrone as god by Luffy

[@mayormars5135]

great vid

[@Idealist_Metaphor]

This one’s a banger

[@MarcyTheKindaCoolWizard]

im not sure why but the idea of epxloring this place with several levels to it each unqiue is sonintriguing to me, specially after reading Dante'a entire epic, so Impel Down was an absolute amazing read and watch, keeping me on my toes as i waited fuether, it just scratches my brain in a simialr way martial arts shwos and specially tournament series makes me stay focused and waiitng for what comes next

[@jorgitosilva]

Not sure if merphy didn't notice... but we do know who carved level 5.5 in impel down... It was Morely... we even saw them doing the same thing in Marijois...

[@XavierStram]

i dont know why but there was some fuzz on your all black shirt and it kept bothering me lolololol.. but VERY interesting parralels! never knew literally most of that!

[@Joescotterpuss]

To talk about the spoiler section for a bit: I think our moon allegory is the character that is introduced om the last oage of the latest chapter. Consider their hair and where they come from and it makes more sense to me than Blackbeard. Blackbeard might be the void/emptiness of space, but so might Imu. Theorycrafting is fun.

[@mathieuleader8601]

the Impel Down arc was going to be more like Inferno with Magellan being a devil like figure according to the Green databook