Kozuki Oden

Kozuki Oden was the daimyo of Kuri in Wano Country and the son of the former shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki, being a member of the Kozuki Family. He was the husband of Kozuki Toki and the father of Momonosuke and Hiyori. Additionally, he was the leader of a group of legendary and powerful samurai known as the Nine Red Scabbards, with all of them serving as his retainers and most trusted allies.

For 5 years of his life, Oden set out to sea and became a pirate, serving as the 2nd division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and later becoming a member of the Roger Pirates. After finding Joy Boy's treasure on Laugh Tale, Oden journeyed home and made it his goal to open Wano's borders to the world by finally taking his father's place as Shogun. However, he met opposition from his usurper Kurozumi Orochi and pirate Kaido, who executed him 20 years before the present.

Appearance
Oden was a muscular man of towering height that is shown to have been about half that of Whitebeard (6.6 m), much taller than normal people. He had long, wild dark hair that was notably gathered into a large, flat, circular plane at the top, and also included a prominent widow's peak and triangular sideburns. He had relatively small dark eyes, prominent, highly arched eyebrows, a square jawline, and a large, expressive mouth. During the five years before his demise, he grew a short goatee.

He typically wore an orange kimono, leaving most of his legs exposed; the kimono had two yellow crescent moon designs on it. Oden also wore a large purple and white nio-dasuki tied around his shoulders that ran down his back. He would often alternate between this and a similar longer kimono, with his nio-dasuki worn as a belt and tied in the front. Oden also wore his favourite swords Enma and Ame no Habakiri across his left waist tucked inside an obi belt. While partying with the Whitebeard Pirates, he wore a light colored shirt, dark colored pants, and crown on his head.

Personality
Oden was an extremely brash, confident, and self-willed man. This motivated him to commit outrageous and violent actions for his own benefit during his youth and adolescence, such as burning down the yakuza casino after being banned from it and kidnapping women at night to form a harem in the mountains. Overall, Oden was known for getting into a significant number of violent fights, and he cared little for the consequences of his actions, as he gladly stood his ground against the yakuza and the loved ones of the women when fighting broke out as a result of the two aforementioned incidents. Although most men were appalled by his actions, his attitude made him very attractive to women, including the ones he kidnapped for his harem as they stayed with him willingly.

After being sentenced to work in the quarries, Oden became less selfish and started acting to improve the lives of the Flower Capital citizens around him. However, these actions were just as outrageous and ill-thought-out as the ones Oden committed to benefit himself. The most notable example is when he attempted to help out the citizens during a drought by diverting a river into the city, which caused the city to become flooded. Additionally, when a Mountain God attacked the Flower Capital, Oden quickly went to action to try to deal with it. Oden seemed to often mean well, but acted in ways that were reckless and potentially alienating to those around him. For example, to honor a deceased man he once knew, Oden cooked a pot of oden soup over the cremated remains and "shared one last drink" with his former friend, much to the dismay of his mourning family members. After being exiled by Sukiyaki, he seemed to have found an outlet for his unconventional attempts at heroism, as he was able to bring peace to Kuri and rebuild its infrastructure in only two years.

Leaving this country is my dream!! Take me with you, let me see the world!!



Oden was also extremely adventurous and wanted to illegally set sail away from Wano Country, viewing it as too cramped. In his youth, he viewed this dream as more important than preparing to succeed his father as shogun. In fact, Oden's determination to set sail was so great that he kept trying to do so 38 times before he became a daimyo. When Whitebeard constantly refused and tried to secretly set sail without notifying him, Oden jumped straight into the sea holding onto the Moby Dick by a chain, shocking the Whitebeard Pirates. Thus, Whitebeard imposed him an extremely difficult challenge which Oden readily agreed to accept it as Oden could braved through the harshest weathers and obstacles without flinching. After he officially joined the Whitebeard Pirates, Oden became immensely excited and curious when they arrived at every new island, learning new discoveries which were unknown to Wano, to the point he ended up recklessly throwing himself into danger. After sailing with the Roger Pirates, Oden decided that he wanted to succeed his father as shogun and open Wano's borders, wanting to change the entire world.

Oden was also a rather naive man as he was easily used by Orochi and was also what earned Kaido's disdain that led him to insulted Oden as a foolish lord. Whenever Orochi came to him asking for money, Oden would always give into his requests and lend him money, something Denjiro constantly scolded him for. Oden also believed that Orochi would honor an agreement that Orochi and Kaido would leave Wano if he humiliated himself for five years. Ultimately, Oden's naivety would indirectly allow Orochi to rise to power and turn Wano into a wasteland.

Despite his rowdy behavior, Oden was an extremely compassionate man. While at first annoyed by Kin'emon and Denjiro acting as his followers, he still cared for their well-being. He also took in other people like the orphaned Izo and Kikunojo, the persecuted Kanjuro and the lonely Raizo. After subduing the criminals and outlaws of Kuri, Oden chose to reform them rather than execute them as criminals. Oden did not tolerate discrimination, considering it a symbol of ignorance. He saved Kawamatsu, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi from being publically humiliated and tortured, beating up the ones responsible for it. He also saw the three as helpless children rather than monsters and was amazed by their uniqueness. Additionally, Oden willingly gave up on his trial to join the Whitebeard Pirates when he heard Amatsuki Toki calling out for help, choosing to save her even if it meant he could not join their crew. When Toki was forced to return to Wano in the middle of their voyage with Roger, she had to threaten to divorce Oden to keep him from staying with her. When Oden learned how Orochi abused his power and authority as the shogun by enslaving Wano citizens for his tyrannical greed, including executing an innocent man along with his family for defiance, Oden was outraged and did not blame his retainers for attacking Orochi for the injustice he caused, as he personally stormed into the Flower Capital to execute Orochi himself. When Oden learned from Orochi how his family was unjustly persecuted for his grandfather's crimes, he accepted his demands of dancing naked weekly in the Flower Capital as an apology to the Kurozumi Family in exchange for sparing the citizens from Orochi's vengeance, including liberating the hundreds of abducted citizens that were meant as a tribute to Kaido.

Oden's favorite food was oden soup which he also cooked to feed his retainers during his journey around Wano and also after becoming the daimyo of Kuri. Oden was even proud to be named after his favorite food, declaring he was born to be boiled like oden soup as he died in a pot of boiling oil. Oden also loved to drink sake, having started drinking alcohol when he was only eight years old.

Kozuki Sukiyaki
Oden's relationship with his father was distant and strained in his youth due to his reckless and violent actions. By the time he was 18, Sukiyaki had enough of his behavior and disowned him, doing so impersonally by having a messenger send a written decree to him. Oden was not upset when he received the decree, viewing it as his father being unable to contain his greatness. He referred to Sukiyaki as "Shogun" rather than by his name or familial title.

However, their relationship changed when Oden restored order to Kuri two years later. Sukiyaki gained respect for his son as he revoked his disownment and made Oden a daimyo. The two of them saw each other for the final time nine years later, with Sukiyaki calling Oden a "fine man". Oden showed respect for his father by crediting him for his change. After receiving the news of Sukiyaki's death, Oden was solemn and regretted being unable to be at his father's deathbed.

Kozuki Toki
Oden loved his wife Toki and cared for her greatly. Even before he knew her, he swam to an island to save her from slavers immediately after hearing her cry for help, even though he was forfeiting the opportunity to join the Whitebeard Pirates that he was on the cusp of achieving. Toki repaid him for saving her by treating his wounds, and although she had hoped that he would take her to Wano, she quickly grew content by just being with him, leading to them falling in love, getting married, and having children while sailing with the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates.

When Toki became too sick to continue sailing, Oden intended on staying in Wano with her and their children, but she wished for him to fulfill his dream and so threatened to divorce him if he stayed. When Oden returned for good, he was outraged upon finding out that she had been attacked and injured and immediately set out to take vengeance. Toki did not wish for Oden to put himself in danger and pleaded that he let it go, but could not stop him. When Oden started dancing naked in public, he wondered if Toki would divorce him, but she assured him that she had no intention of doing so.

Momonosuke and Hiyori
Like Toki, Oden loved his son and daughter dearly. While out at sea, Oden and Toki were very attentive to their young children and calmed them when perilous situations arose. After living in Wano for a year while Oden was still at sea, Momonosuke started addressing his father respectfully when they reunited. Oden's death was very hard on Momonosuke and makes him very emotional, and Momonosuke desires to take down Kaido and Orochi to avenge him. Hiyori thinks very highly of her heritage, having proudly referred to herself as the daughter of a samurai. Oden also bequeathed his favourite swords to both Momonosuke and Hiyori as a memento after his death.

Retainers
Kin'emon and Denjiro were Oden's first followers, becoming immediately devoted to him after seeing him take down the Mountain God and arguing about which one of them would be his first follower. Oden did not wish for them to follow him, but let them come inside his house when they stood outside in the rain guarding him. Izo, Kikunojo, Kanjuro, and Raizo were drawn to Oden because they were struggling in their lives, and Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu were drawn to him after he saved them from persecution. As with Kin'emon and Denjiro, Oden did not want them following him, but had no intention of forcing them to leave.

Oden decided to put the devotion of his followers to work by having them help him restore order to Kuri, and the criminal Ashura Doji, who had initially wanted to die after Oden defeated him, was swayed by Oden's efforts to restore Kuri and followed him as well, thanking Oden for allowing him to experience peace. When Oden was appointed daimyo, he honored the devotion of his followers by making them his retainers. All of them consider Oden to have saved their lives and possessed unwavering devotion for him, which initially caused them to try stealing money to help him get by. When Yasuie ordered them to become proper and educated samurai to effectively serve Oden as the future shogun, they did so without issue despite their rough backgrounds, shocking Oden with their displays of respect.

Although Oden's retainers were unwaveringly loyal to him, they were not yes men and attempted to advise him against making poorly thought out decisions, though were usually unsuccessful. Denjiro repeatedly tried to prevent him from giving money to Orochi, and most of the retainers opposed Oden's dream of illegally leaving Wano and exploring the world. Izo went as far as intercepting Oden trying to sail off with the Whitebeard Pirates, though he could not stop him. On the other hand, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi simply wanted to go with Oden wherever he went, and so accompanied him as stowaways with both the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates. When he was preparing to return to Wano, Oden recognized that Izo was content with the Whitebeard Pirates and so let him stay with them. The rest of Oden's retainers treated him coldly due to his departure, referring to him as "scoundrel", although they still remained loyal to him and warmed back up to him after he returned.

Oden had utmost faith in his retainers' abilities, believing that they can realize his unfulfilled wish of opening Wano's borders to the world in his place. In his last breath, Oden warned Kaido not to underestimate his samurais.

After Oden was executed, his retainers swore to avenge him and achieve his dream of opening Wano's borders, and they are all actively working to overthrow Orochi and Kaido. Denjiro, took up an alias and acted as a Yakuza with feigned loyalty to Orochi. Denjiro also tended to Hiyori until the final battle. Ashura Doji initially lost faith in this plan due to the toll taken on him and his allies over 20 years, but eventually changed his mind. The retainers recruited allies to help them in their fight, but on their planned day of vengeance when it seemed that no one would be joining them, they elected to set sail for Onigashima by themselves and do their very best to avenge Oden. Although this was likely to be suicidal, they were content with doing it because serving Oden was their only purpose in life.

Unknown to Oden, Kanjuro was actually a member of the Kurozumi Family, sent by Orochi from the very beginning to infiltrate and overthrow the Kozuki Family. Although Kanjuro put on the perfect act of a loyal retainer and would actually die for the Kozuki, it was more because he was actually seeking a place to die since losing his parents destroyed his will to live on. Whenever Orochi would ask Oden to loan him money, Kanjuro would secretly bring out double the requested amount, allowing Orochi to stockpile on funding at Oden's expense. Kanjuro also fed Orochi much information on the Kozuki Family, thus contributing on Kaido's raid against Oden to be so successful.

Whitebeard Pirates
When the Whitebeard Pirates came to Wano, Oden immediately wished to join them to fulfill his dream of sailing out of Wano. Although Whitebeard's subordinates quickly grew to like him, Whitebeard refused to let Oden join him because he did not believe the samurai would respond well to authority. Since Oden was persistent, Whitebeard attempted to sail away in the middle of the night, but Oden still managed to get to them and attach himself to the Moby Dick with a chain. Being surprised by the degree of Oden's persistence, Whitebeard decided to allow him to join the crew if he could hold onto that chain for three days. Oden took this challenge to heart and very nearly passed it, only forgoing it in order to save a nearby Toki. However, his compassion for her impressed Whitebeard, and he welcomed Oden onto his crew.

Oden immediately became part of the Whitebeard Pirates' family, with Whitebeard considering him to be a little brother. When Roger requested for Oden to join him on his voyage, Whitebeard adamantly refused to let him take one of his family. However, Oden wished to accompany Roger on his voyage around the globe, and so Whitebeard reluctantly agreed to let him go. Ultimately, Oden never returned to the Whitebeard Pirates, deciding to return to Wano after reaching the end of the Grand Line with Roger; he asked Roger to tell Izo to take care of Whitebeard for him.

Roger Pirates
Roger took an interest in Oden not long after he joined the Whitebeard Pirates, valuing him for his family's knowledge of the Poneglyphs. Four years later they would meet each other in person as enemies, engaging in a brief clash as their crews battled for each other's treasure. After the battle, Oden expressed his willingness to join Roger on his journey and help him decipher the Road Poneglyphs leading to the final island.

The Roger Pirates initially were not welcoming toward Oden and his family, considering him to be nothing more than an aide for Roger. However, they quickly warmed up to Oden and began treating him like family, and Oden loved them just as much as he did the Whitebeard Pirates. Oden, along with the rest of the crew, sobbed uncontrollably when Roger disbanded the crew and departed. The Roger Pirates offered to help Oden in his quest to open Wano's borders, and although he declined, they took him back to Wano. A year later, Oden learned of Roger's execution, and his tears were mixed with joy at his former captain establishing himself as a legend.

Shimotsuki Yasuie
Oden was close with Yasuie, even in his delinquent days. He stayed with Yasuie after being exiled from the Flower Capital, and addressed him quite casually. Although Yasuie tolerated Oden staying with him, he made it clear to Oden that he expected him to grow up and succeed his father as shogun. He was very disappointed when Oden said he would rather forgo that and break the law by sailing outside of Wano.

Thus, Yasuie was quite satisfied when he heard that Oden had restored peace to Kuri. When Orochi succeeded Sukiyaki as shogun and made Oden humiliate himself in public, Yasuie made fun of Oden but still respected him. Even though most of Wano lost respect for Oden during the five years after his return, Yasuie remained on good terms with him. In fact, Oden trusted Yasuie to protect his family when he decided to fight Kaido.

Yasuie remained loyal to Oden even after he was executed and slandered by Orochi. 20 years after Oden's death, Yasuie ultimately gave up his life in order to help the plan to avenge him to succeed.

Hyogoro Family
Oden became close with the yakuza boss Hyogoro and his family during Orochi's reign as shogun. They respected Oden even as he humiliated himself in public for five years, with Hyogoro's wife even complimenting him on his dancing. Hyogoro was loyal to Oden and could not tolerate serving someone like Orochi, though Oden warned him to avoid getting into trouble. When Hyogoro was captured and his wife and men were killed, Oden was instantly enraged and set out to avenge them.

Wano Country Citizens
Oden frequently caused uproars with the citizens of Wano during his youth, particularly when he kidnapped women to form a harem in the mountains. Most of the men absolutely hated him, while the women were attracted to him and his charisma, and there was a considerable stir when he came to the Flower Capital at age 18. However, after he took down the Mountain God and was exiled from the Flower Capital, many of the men found themselves drawn to following Oden on his journey and were said to have taken a single step toward him before hesitating and ultimately staying, though wondering what could have been if they had followed him.

Eleven years later, although Oden had become a daimyo, the Flower Capital citizens still generally viewed him and his followers as delinquents. However, they were pleasantly surprised when they arrived at the Flower Capital in a dignified procession. Oden then became popular among the people, and when Orochi took over for Sukiyaki as shogun and started making oppressive actions, they became very excited at Oden's return and clamored for him to take his rightful spot as shogun.

However, Orochi threatened to deliver hundreds of kidnapped citizens to Kaido as a tribute, giving Oden an ultimatum provided that he humiliated himself in front of everyone every week to spare a hundred lives with each dance as per his reparations to the Kurozumi Family. With little choice, Oden started to follow Orochi's terms. Not knowing the truth, the citizens were shocked and disappointed and their opinion of Oden started to degrade. During Oden's execution, the citizens initially mocked him until Shinobu revealed the reason for Oden's actions during the past five years. Afterwards, the citizens became remorseful for treating Oden poorly and cheered for Oden to survive. The spectators grieved when Oden ultimately died. Orochi's administration portrayed Oden as a threat to Wano who wanted to destroy the country by opening its borders. While many citizens believed this, thousands of them did not as they remained loyal to him and his family despite that being outlawed by Orochi.

Kurozumi Orochi
Oden first met Orochi when he was 18 and Orochi was working for Yasuie. He did not think highly of Orochi, calling him a creep when he first saw him and frequently noting his pathetic disposition. When Oden became a daimyo, Orochi frequently asked to borrow money from him, and Oden always obliged despite never being paid back due to feeling sorry for Orochi and respecting his relationship with Yasuie. Orochi approached Oden humbly, but in reality considered him to be an enemy, as he was actively working to overthrow the Kozuki Family from the shogunate and rule in Oden's place, and was spending the money Oden gave him to manufacture weapons.

When Oden returned from his voyage and found out that Orochi had not only seized the throne, but had his allies attack Toki and Momonosuke, he instantly became enraged and attempted to slay Orochi. With Orochi's allies preventing Oden from killing him, Orochi put aside pretenses and treated Oden antagonistically, reveling in the trickery he had used to remove the Kozuki Family from power, Oden was aghast and shocked when he learned from Orochi about how he and his family were ruthlessly persecuted for his grandfather's sin of poisoning the damiyos despite the fact that his grandfather was already punished by execution and his family stripped of their wealth and prestige in consequences. Desiring revenge for the crimes committed against the Kurozumi Family, he took full advantage of his power over Oden by forcing him to humiliate himself in public and to grovel in his presence, with Oden being forced to do so to prevent Orochi from offering innocent civilians as sacrifices to Kaido. Although he and Kaido offered Oden a chance to live if he were to survive in boiling oil for one hour, Orochi did not honor the promise as he had a firing squad prepared after the hour expired. After executing Oden, Orochi portrayed him to the public as a threat to Wano.

Kaido
Oden became enemies with Kaido upon hearing that the Yonko captured Hyogoro and slaughtered his wife and many of his men. This caused him to immediately take up arms and try to take him down. Before they fought, Kaido mocked Oden for choosing to humiliate himself instead of pressing his rebellion, saying he had none of the Kozuki Family's dignity. His words did not affect Oden, as he was at peace with his choice. Kaido heavily respected Oden's strength, and so used trickery and deception to overcome him, first by having him follow a deal with Orochi that would not be honored, then striking him from behind during their battle while he was distracted. Although Kaido did promise Oden he would let anyone who can survive in the boiling oil for one hour to live, he did not honor the promise as Orochi prepared a firing squad, in which Kaido did not object. Before killing Oden, Kaido apologized to the samurai about Kurozumi Higurashi's actions while mentioning that he had killed her. After Oden's death, Kaido showed disdain for him by calling him a "foolish lord" in front of Momonosuke.

Abilities and Powers
As daimyo of Kuri, Oden had a large amount of power and influence over the region before his death. He also had the ability to hear the "Voice of All Things", which his son also inherited. Being a former member of both the Whitebeard Pirates, as a former Divison Commander, and the Roger Pirates, Oden was regarded as being a tremendously powerful pirate with a great level of influence in both crews. His influence even extends toward the members of the Mink Tribe on Zou, with the leaders Inuarashi and Nekomamushi being members of the Nine Red Scabbards. As a descendant of the Kozuki Family, Oden also inherited from his ancestors the knowledge and skill to read Poneglyphs and write its ancient language.

Additionally, the rest of the Mink Tribe has shown enough respect and loyalty toward the Kozuki Family that all of them were willing to die rather than to allow one of Oden's retainers from being captured even after Oden died. In spite of all the conflicts that he had with the Yakuza over the years, his death had such an impact on the leaders of the Yakuza that they staged their own rebellion against Kurozumi Orochi who had allied with Kaido before they were all captured and sent to Udon prison.

Oden possessed a tremendous combination of combat skills and charisma. His combat prowess was seen at an early age, when he got into massive battles and altercations with powerful samurai and yakuza and survived, causing an implied high number of casualties over the years. Despite being frequently pursued by authorities in his youth, he was only captured once and eluded capture many times afterward. His combat and charisma combination was best seen in his restoration of peace to Kuri, where he defeated the powerful Ashura Doji and then proceeded to round up the rest of the dangerous criminals and get them to work under him, including Ashura. Prior to this, he also demonstrated his charisma by quickly becoming a figure of high repute as a laborer in the quarry.

As Oden admitted himself, he had no talent in sailing and navigation.

Physical Abilities
Oden had tremendous physical strength since infancy, during which he flung his wet nurse across the room. By age two, he could catch rabbits with his bare hands, and at age four, he killed a bear by throwing a boulder at it. At adulthood, Oden could carry a giant Koi carp which he caught at sea by himself and exerted enough physical power in his swordsmanship to clash with Whitebeard's Meito Murakumogiri. To match his tremendous strength, Oden also had astounding tolerance to pain, as he could hold a hot pot with his bare hands.

He had immense stamina and endurance, as he was able to fight against the criminals and ronin of Kuri joined led by Ashura Doji for an entire night alone with multiple wounds such as arrows sticking out of his body yet still came out victorious. Additionally, he held onto a chain pulled by the Moby Dick and faced the many dangers and climates of the New World ocean with no protection for three days before eventually letting go, more because he went to rescue Toki than due to exhaustion. When he washed ashore on an island afterward, he received slight treatment from Toki and slept for one night before getting up with exuberant energy, leaving Toki surprised about his tremendous recovery speed.

As a testament to his monsterous strength and endurance, Oden was able to hold up all nine of his retainers, each who are very large, on a thick wooden plank while his lower half was submerged for an extended period of time in a large pot of boiling oil, which killed an average man in seconds despite getting out. He survived being boiled alive in oil while the temperature continued to increase to over 700 degrees of heat for almost over an hour, a feat no one has managed before, which impressed even Kaido. Despite being near death, Oden could still muster the strength to throw all nine of his retainers a great distance away from the execution site. However, it appeared that Oden reached his limit from this as Kaido noted that his body was dead.

Swordsmanship
Oden was an extremely powerful master samurai, having developed his own variation of Nitoryu, which Oden himself referred as Oden Nitoryu (おでん二刀流), known in the VIZ manga as Oden Two-Sword Style. He had immense prowess and ambidexterity in dual-wielding the legendary Meito, Enma and Ame no Habakiri.

Even at age 9, Oden could fight against an entire yakuza gang in the Flower Capital until the age of 10 where he almost killed someone. At age 18, he was able to strike down the massive beast hailed as the Mountain God with a single attack. Kin'emon stated that Oden was able to fight against all of the outlaws, ronin, and the regions most dangerous criminal, Ashura Doji (someone noted to be worth 100 men in battle) after an entire night of battle. During his adventures with the Whitebeard Pirates, Oden was able to easily sink a large pirate ship by cutting it in half. Due to his adventures with the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates, he was stated to be have grown stronger than before to where he was the only individual to wound the nigh-invulnerable Kaido in his Mythical Zoan dragon form causing him to fall to the ground and be permanently scarred, but couldn't deal another blow due to being tricked by Kurozumi Higurashi who disguised herself as a kidnapped Momonosuke.

Techniques

 * Togen Shirataki: Oden hardens both his swords using "Ryuo", then delivers a diagonal slash with each one of them at the same time. This technique has immense power and range, as seen when Oden used the technique to bisect the massive Mountain God in half. "Shirataki" is a type of Japanese noodles and a popular ingredient in oden, which follows the oden-themed naming scheme of Oden's techniques. In the VIZ manga, this is called Paradise Waterfall.
 * Gan Modoki (・): After hardening his swords using "Ryuo", Oden crosses his swords and charges forward, slicing anyone in his path. When Oden used this technique, he was able to defeat several members of the Roger Pirates at once. The attack name is a pun on "ganmodoki", Japanese fried tofu fritter made with vegetables and a popular side for oden, in keeping with the naming scheme of Oden's techniques. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gun Modoki.
 * Togen Totsuka: Oden hardens his swords using "Ryuo", then leaps toward his opponent performing an X-shaped slash powerful enough to give the nigh-invincible Kaido his permanent scar. "Totsuka" is a reference to the four Totsuka-no-Tsurugi mentioned in Japanese mythology, one of them being Ame no Habakiri. In the VIZ manga, this is called Paradise Totsuka.

Weapons


Oden wielded two O Wazamono Meito: Ame no Habakiri (the sword said to be able to cut "heaven" itself) and its sister sword Enma (the sword said to be able to cut to the "bottom of hell"), respective masterpieces of Wano's greatest swordsmiths Tenguyama Hitetsu and Shimotsuki Kozaburo.

Even more notably according to Hitetsu, Oden was the only one who mastered Enma's significant Haki depletion, something which emaciated Zoro's arm and drained several other samurai. These swords are the only known weapons to have ever harmed the near-invulnerable Kaido, giving him a permanent scar, something no one else has been able to do before or after.

Haoshoku Haki


Oden possessed Haoshoku Haki, a very rare type of Haki whose users are said to have the qualities of a king. During his initial encounter with Edward Newgate 30 years ago, their sudden clash created a notable effect similar to lightning and released a large burst.

Busoshoku Haki


Oden was an exceptionally skilled master of Busoshoku Haki, which is known as "Ryuo" in Wano. This is most noted as he was the only samurai who could tame the Meito, Enma despite its dangerous haki-draining properties, which even Kin'emon, a member of the Nine Red Scabbards, feared to accept. As a true and further testament to his skills, he was able to wound even the nigh-invincible Kaido whereas even Luffy using Boundman could not even damage him, displaying his supreme mastery of this Haki compared to Zoro who had his arm emaciated after his initial attempt at using Enma although he forced his Haki back into his arm.

Even at the age of eighteen, he was already masterful in using "Ryuo", as he could imbue it into both his swords (Ame no Habakiri and Enma) hardening them and cleanly bisect the gigantic Mountain God of Wano in a single slash. At the age of twenty-nine, Oden could harden his swords and clashed against Busoshoku Haki enhanced Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono belonging to Edward Newgate, who was an immensely powerful Busoushoku Haki master in his own right.

Chaotic Youth


Oden was born in the Flower Capital of Wano Country to the shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki 59 years before the present day, and he began committing outrageous acts as soon as infancy. When he was less than a year old, he threw his wet nurse across the room. When he was 2, he caught two rabbits with his bare hands, and at age 4, he killed a bear by throwing a large boulder at it. Starting at age 6, he started roaming the Red-Light District and participating in casinos, and by the time he was 8, he started drinking booze and began picking fights with gamblers. At age 9, even the yakuza had banned him from their casino. This resulted in Oden setting their casino on fire and starting a conflict with them, culminating in his capture a year later after he almost killed someone.

As punishment, Oden was sentenced to hard labor in the quarries, and he worked well enough there to gain significant prestige. When he was 14, he attempted to help the Flower Capital citizens during a great drought by diverting a river to the city. However, this resulted in the Capital becoming flooded, and the authorities attempted to capture Oden again. To escape, Oden set out to sea for the very first time, but was quickly forced to return to land. When he was 15 and still in hiding, he started working at a mountain temple, where he formed a harem of women whom he kidnapped from the Capital at night. The women's loved ones, as well as many powerful samurai, went after Oden to stop him, but Oden stood his ground, resulting in the massive Harem Revolt (ハーレムの乱).

For the next three years, Oden attempted to set out to sea 38 times. He quickly failed every time, though he managed to survive. At age 18, he went into the Flower Capital and proceeded to cook a pot of oden soup over the cremated remains of a man named Katsuzo. After leaving the crematorium, he saw that a Mountain God was attacking the Flower Capital, and overheard Kin'emon and Denjiro talking about the Mountain God's offspring being in their possession. Oden then told them to give him the giant boar's offspring.



Oden then took the white boar when Kin'emon tried attacking the Mountain God. After Kin'emon was overpowered, Oden used the white boar to get the Mountain God's attention. As the giant beast charged at him, Oden struck it down. When Kin'emon was going to take responsibility for the Mountain God's attack, Oden knocked him out and took the blame himself. His father's aide then delivered a message to him, saying that he was disowned and exiled from the Flower Capital. Out of gratitude and awe, Kin'emon and Denjiro began following him.

Reforming Kuri
After leaving the capital, Oden moved to Shimotsuki Yasuie's residence at Hakumai, where he also met Kurozumi Orochi, who was working as a servant there. Yasuie later got mad at Oden for living as a vagabond instead of rising to his father's challenge. Oden told Yasuie how he wanted to set out to sea, and Yasuie replied that he had to become a competent samurai before he could be so selfish.



After hearing about Ashura Doji, Oden decided to journey to Kuri, which was Wano's most lawless region. During the journey, he was followed by Kin'emon and Denjiro. Along the way, the group was joined by Kikunojo and Izo at Ringo, Kanjuro at Kibi, and Raizo at Udon. Oden entered Kuri alone and fought all the bandits there, including Ashura, Kuri's most dangerous criminal. By the time his companions arrived, Oden had defeated all of his enemies. With the help of his companions, Oden rounded up the other criminals to bring peace to Kuri. He had the residents work to build a village to live in, and he built the Paradise Farm to feed them. Oden was then granted the title of daimyo of Kuri at the age of 20 after Sukiyaki heard about his deeds. In addition, Oden chose the companions he made on his journey as well as the reformed Ashura to be his retainers. After Orochi quit being Yasuie's servant, Oden lent him money to support him.

While fishing at Kuri Beach, Oden discovered Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu being tormented by humans who persecuted them. Oden rescued the three and they followed him back to Kuri and became his retainers. 30 years ago, Oden heard that his father had fallen ill and he visited the Flower Capital with his retainers. Oden then spoke with his father one last time.

Journey With Pirates


Later that year, Oden learned that a pirate ship had arrived at Itachi Port, prompting him to go there. Charging towards the Whitebeard Pirates, he clashed with their captain while informing Whitebeard that he wanted to join his crew. Afterwards, Oden and his retainers had a feast with the crew. Oden kept asking to join only to be turned down. Two weeks later, the Whitebeard Pirates tried to leave Oden behind, but he caught up to them and held onto a chain he attached to the ship. Izo also held onto Oden and got dragged away with him. After pulling Izo up onto the ship, Whitebeard gave Oden a test. If he could hold onto the chain for three days, he would be allowed into the crew. Just when Oden only had ten minutes left, he heard a woman in trouble and let go. He drifted to an island and scared away some kidnappers who mistook him for a sea monster, saving the woman in the process. On the next day, he got acquainted with the woman, who was named Toki. They were then confronted by Karma and his crew, but Whitebeard came and defeated Karma. Whitebeard then finally allowed Oden to join his crew. After boarding, Oden discovered that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had stowed away on the ship, waiting for Oden. Afterwards, Oden went on adventures with the Whitebeard Pirates.

On his journey, he became a notorious outlaw with a bounty. He found that the geography of the world astounding and the government overseeing it as unbelievable. Having grown closer with Toki and marrying her at some point, the couple became parents on their second year aboard the Moby Dick and named their son Kozuki Momonosuke. Later, as the crew was growing in numbers, Whitebeard split its members into five divisions, and Oden was appointed as the commander of the second division. Two years later, he and Toki would have a daughter whom they named Kozuki Hiyori.

Docking at an island, the Whitebeard Pirates unexpectedly encountered the Roger Pirates, leading to Oden rushing towards the crew to take their treasure. Engaging the crew in battle, he drew the attention of Gol D. Roger and was knocked away by the pirate. Running back to his opponent, Oden was left amazed at how his captain and Roger were fighting each other. Afterwards, the two crews began fighting for the next three days until a cease fire was made on the fourth day. A few days into it, Oden had a discussion with the two captains, during which he informed Roger that he could read the Poneglyphs. Revealing his intention to reach the rumored final island of the Grand Line and become Pirate King, Roger left Oden frozen from being impressed. Roger begged Oden to join him for a year in order to get to the island, and Whitebeard honored Oden's choice to join Roger, leading to him parting ways with the Whitebeard Pirates.



Boarding the Oro Jackson with his wife and children, he discovered Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had followed him on board. The crew sailed to Mock Town and afterwards reached Skypiea, where Oden read a Poneglyph and engraved Roger's message on the Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell. After returning to the ocean, the crew sailed towards Water 7, during which Oden informed Roger that Wano had a Road Poneglyph. Docking at the island, Oden invited Cutty Flam to join the crew but the latter declined the offer. From there, the crew sailed to Fish-Man Island, where Oden read the island's two Poneglyphs and learned from Neptune that Poseidon is a mermaid. Oden later read another Poneglyph after venturing to another island. Upon Toki becoming sick, the pirates dropped her and her children off at Wano alongside Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, during which Oden could tell his country had changed despite not looking at it. Afterwards, the crew learned the contents of Wano's Poneglyph. Arriving at Zou, Oden felt a different vibe from the island that did not sit well with him and Roger. Venturing into the country, the crew found the last Road Poneglyph, leading to Oden discovering his family's ties to the Mink Tribe after seeing his clan's seal above the stone. Having left Zou, the crew discovered the location of the final island of the New World and sailed there. There, the crew found Joy Boy's treasure and laughed when they saw it, leading to Roger naming the island Laugh Tale.

Grateful he joined Roger, he declined offers from his crew members with assisting him in opening Wano's borders, and instead sought to make his envisionment a reality with the aid of his retainers and by becoming shogun.

Homecoming and Death


Over 20 years before the present, Roger decided to disband the crew and Oden parted ways with him as the Pirate King left the ship. Afterwards, the rest of the crew returned Oden to Wano Country and he bid farewell to them as well. Oden then reunited with his family and retainers. He heard about Orochi becoming shogun and how he had been oppressing the citizens with the aid of Kaido. He also heard about how his family was threatened and Toki got injured protecting Momonosuke. Enraged, Oden ordered his retainers to guard his family before charging to the Flower Capital. He arrived at the castle and fought his way through the guards. Once he reached Orochi, Oden quickly attacked him. Oden's attack was stopped by Kurozumi Semimaru, who used a barrier to protect Orochi. After hearing about how Orochi rose to power, Oden left the castle and a few hours later, he started dancing naked in the streets of the Flower Capital. He did this once a week, causing his people to lose faith and respect for him. One year later, Oden received a foreign newspaper and read about Roger's execution.



On the fifth year after his return, Oden heard that Hyogoro was captured for his defiance and Hyogoro's wife was killed. Grieving over Hyogoro's fate, Oden finally decided to gather his retainers to take down Kaido. Before leaving Kuri, Oden gave Toki a letter. On the way to Onigashima, Oden and his retainers were confronted by Kaido and his crew in the Udon region. In the ensuing battle, Shinobu joined Oden's side and Oden managed to wound Kaido. However, when Oden was distracted by Kurozumi Higurashi, who disguised herself as Momonosuke and pretended to be a hostage, Kaido struck him down. After his defeat, Oden claimed that Shinobu was not his ally, allowing her to walk free. Oden and the Scabbards were then imprisoned in the Flower Capital and sentenced to be boiled alive in three days. Toki visited Oden at the prison, and Oden handed his swords to her and asked her to pass them on to their children.

On the day of the execution, Oden made a deal with Kaido to allow those who survive the execution to go free and Kaido gave him an hour. Oden entered the pot, and before his retainers joined him, he lifted a plank upon his shoulders and ordered his retainers to stand on top of the plank. After the citizens realized how Oden protected them during the past five years, they started cheering for Oden's effort to survive and Oden appreciated that. As he endured the hour, Oden explained to his retainers the reason Wano Country was isolated and requested them to open Wano's borders for him. Oden successfully survived the hour, but Orochi summoned a firing squad to execute Oden and his retainers. Oden once again told his retainers to open Wano's borders before throwing them far away from the pot. As the Scabbards fled, Kaido shot Oden in the head and Oden died with a smile.

Legacy
We swear that if we can truly travel to the future... we will surely finish what Lord Oden had started! We will defeat Orochi!! Defeat Kaido!! And open the borders of this country once and for all!!! His death was deeply mourned by the rest of the country and his noble reputation was fully restored to the rest of the people of Wano, causing tons of people to take arms and ready to rebel against Orochi's regime and the Beasts Pirates in his name and the Kozuki Family. Kaido attacked the rest of Oden's family after Oden's death, but his children survived as Toki sent Momonosuke 20 years forward in time and Kawamatsu kept Hiyori safe.

For the next 20 years, Oden was vilified by Orochi's administration, who informed the populace that he had attempted to destroy Wano in his quest to open its borders. Sympathizing with the Kozuki Family became a high crime, one that even children were punished heavily for committing. Orochi was officially recognized as a hero for defeating Oden.

However, in spite of Orochi's attempts to portray Oden in a negative light, thousands of Wano citizens remained loyal to him and his family due to Oden's selfless action. These included the other four daimyo and the yakuza bosses, and Orochi and Kaido had to resort to killing or imprisoning them to silence them.

Before he died, Oden told his retainers to complete his quest to open Wano's borders. After being sent forward in time, Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, and Kikunojo recruited all of the remaining Nine Red Scabbards aside from Denjiro and thousands of other Kozuki Family sympathizers to rise up and bring down Orochi and Kaido. Additionally, they went abroad and formed an alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates and Heart Pirates to increase their fighting power, and the mink citizens of Zou that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi ruled over were also recruited.

Major Battles

 * Oden vs. Yakuza gangs (unseen)
 * Oden vs. Mountain God
 * Oden vs. Bandits of Kuri
 * Oden vs. Ashura Doji
 * Oden vs. Edward Newgate
 * Oden vs. Gol D. Roger
 * Oden, the Nine Red Scabbards, and Shinobu vs. Beasts Pirates
 * Oden vs. Kaido

Anime and Manga Differences
Additional scenes are added to the glimpses of Oden's past in Episode 910 of the anime. The scenes showed that Oden fought the thugs of Kuri bare handed, defeated Ashura without sustaining any injuries, and during the time of his death, Oden was fighting a group of enemies until he was struck down.

Trivia

 * Oden's life heavily revolved around his food namesake, a traditional Japanese winter dish. In addition to it being his favorite food, his catchphrase "I am Oden, and I was born to boil" refers to the boiling required to cook Oden, as did his execution by being boiled alive. His deal with Kaido of being boiled for an hour refers to the time it takes to fully cook oden.
 * Oden's birthday, February 22nd, is National Oden Day in Japan. Additionally, the chapter where Oden was killed, Chapter 972, was released on February 22nd.
 * Oden is similar to Mont Blanc Noland, as they are both the main protagonists of flashback stories in which they are executed in the end by greedy nobles, who then besmirched their family names through lies and misinformation.
 * Oden bears a resemblance to Susanoo-No-Mikoto, the Japanese Shinto god of the sea and storms.
 * Both were violently impulsive and committed outrageous acts against their peers out of bravado and recklessness, causing them to be banished from their homes as punishment.
 * Both their signature swords are named Ame no Habakiri.
 * Both went on paths of redemption to atone for their deeds by committing great acts of heroism in defense of others.
 * Both came into violent enmity with a malevolent entity that went by the moniker of Yamata no Orochi, alluding to Oden's personal vendetta against Kurozumi Orochi.
 * Oden also bears a resemblance to Heracles, a divine hero in Greek mythology:
 * Both possessed tremendous strength since infancy.
 * Both had numerous affairs with women.
 * Some of Oden's actions are based on the Twelve Labors of Heracles:
 * Oden defeating the Mountain God is based on the fourth labor, the capture of the Erymanthian Boar.
 * Oden's attempt to help the Flower Capital citizens during a great drought by diverting a river to the city is based on the fifth labor, cleaning the Augean stables in a single day. Unlike Heracles, Oden's action ended in disaster.
 * Both were rejected and disowned by one of their family members (Heracles' nemesis was Hera and Oden was disowned by his father, Kozuki Sukiyaki).
 * Both were sailors (Heracles was part of the Argonauts and Oden sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates).
 * Both had fathers who were rulers of their respective domains (Heracles's father was Zeus, King and ruler of Olympus; Oden's father was the head of the Kozuki family and shogun of Wano).
 * The execution of Oden is similar to the execution of Ishikawa Goemon, a semi-legendary Japanese outlaw hero who lived in the 16th century. One version of Goemon's execution is when Goemon tried to assassinate Hideyoshi to avenge the death of his wife Otaki and the capture of his son, Gobei. He sneaked into Fushimi Castle and entered Hideyoshi's room but was caught and captured. He was sentenced to death by being boiled alive in an iron cauldron along with his very young son, but was able to save his son by holding him above his head, similar to how Oden saved his retainers.
 * Kozuki Oden is similar to Miyamoto Musashi, who was considered "The Greatest Samurai of Japan", in the style of two swords.

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