Oda's One Piece series has introduced us to a variety of different characters, and we here at Proximity Japan have written about many of them. We've introduced a few, but in most cases, we've discussed these characters' actions and roles in the series. In this article, we'll—once again—be talking about Zunesha, the giant elephant who made his return in the latest episode of One Piece. Zunesha is back and he's here to help the Alliance in Wano. But how and why did Zunesha come to Wano? Why did he decide to help? This article will reveal all of this to you, so keep reading to find out.

Zunesha is, as he is known, a traveling elephant. While traveling the waters of Wano Country, he noticed a gigantic sea fleet heading towards Wano Country, which he took as a sign of danger. He then communicated with Momonosuke using the Voice of All Things and told him that he would fight alongside him and that he must open the waters of Wano Country, which is exactly what happened. There, he would confirm that Luffy is Joy Boy. After Kaido's defeat, he respected Momonosuke's decision not to open the waters of Wano Country and left the country.

The rest of this article will focus solely on Zunesha's character, as we'll explain her final actions in Wano Country, which will be an important moment in the story's development. We'll give you some background on the character, as well as her actions and motivations in Wano Country. We'll also answer a series of relevant questions about Zunesha, but be warned, as the article will contain many spoilers.

Zunesha offered her help to the Wano Alliance

About a thousand years ago, the giant elephant Zunesha was born. He eventually became Joy Boy's partner during the Void Century, and Kozuki Momonosuke claims that during this time, he committed a serious crime, though the series hasn't (yet) revealed what exactly it was. Zunesha committed a "crime" eight hundred years ago and was sentenced to an eternity of wandering the sea and obeying only orders.

Since then, Zunesha has traveled throughout the New World and coexisted with the Mink Tribe and other lifeforms on Zou Island for generations. Jack and his Beast Pirates returned to Zou with the intention of killing Zunesha after she attempted to rescue Donquixote Doflamingo from the Marines, but ultimately failed.

But beyond her personal story, Zunesha's story is also intertwined with that of Joy Boy, a legendary liberation warrior. Namely, as mentioned above, Joy Boy was Zunesha's ally during the Void Century. The two seemed quite close, and legend has it that Zunesha is actually the only one who can immediately recognize Joy Boy when he sees him and hears the Drums of Liberation. This is why Zunesha's arrival in Wano was so significant, and why we decided to discuss it here.

But first, let's see what happened. So, as we said, Zunesha is a traveling elephant, and due to his past crimes, he continues to roam the waters of the New World, part of which is also Wano Country. As he headed towards the waters of Wano, Zunesha noticed a large fleet of World Government ships. The Wano fighters didn't know this, but the World Government had decided to send a navy fleet led by Admiral Ryokugyu to Wano, and Zunesha saw them.

Noticing them, Zunesha used the Voice of All Things, a special means of communication between inanimate objects and animals, to inform Momonosuke of the situation and offer her services.

Zunesha wasn't a particularly skilled fighter, but his size and brute strength always made him a valuable ally. He told Momonosuke he would fight under his command, but this meant Momonosuke would have to open the waters of Wano, which eventually happened, allowing Zunesha to enter Wano Country and aid the alliance. His contribution wasn't crucial, but it did help the alliance.

But Zunesha's contribution to the Wano Country Arc was far greater than just fighting. Namely, while he was fighting in Wano, the giant elephant heard the "Drums of Liberation."

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The "Drums of Liberation" weren't actual drums that could be heard, but rather a change in Zunesha's heartbeat, which was called that, and it started whenever Zunesha was near Joy Boy. Several centuries had passed since he last heard this rhythm, and when he finally arrived in Wano, he heard them. When? Well, it happened when Luffy finally activated the true form of his Gomu Gomu no Mi, which turned out to be the legendary Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika.

This was truly an important moment for the story, and with Zunesha present to witness it, we finally received confirmation of who Joy Boy is. It had been implied earlier that Kaido himself was Joy Boy, but since Zunesha didn't hear the "Drums of Release" until Luffy activated his Devil Fruit's true nature, we knew it wasn't Kaido. Luffy's identity as Joy Boy had also been a matter of debate, and the Wano Country Arc finally provided us with confirmation, as Zunesha is undoubtedly a character capable of identifying Joy Boy based on her knowledge and history with the former Joy Boy.

Zunesha remained in Wano until Kaido was finally defeated, which wasn't long, but he was there as an ally. However, after Kaido's fall, Momonosuke declared that he wasn't willing to keep Wano's waters open, so Zunesha, respecting his decision, left.