Okama

Okama
Statistics
Japanese Name:	オカマ
Official English Name:	Queers (FUNimation)
First Appearance:	Chapter 129; Episode 78
Features:	Crossdressing Sex change
Homeland:	Momoiro Island, other locations

Okama are people who were born male but have adopted various female traits, ranging from simply crossdressing to actually changing their biological sex. The Kamabakka Kingdom is the okama kingdom, although okama live all over the world.

Appearance

The okama generally wear items that are normally only worn by women and tend to wear these clothes regardless of their body shape. Much of their clothing may look like abstract renditions of what women might wear, outfits resembling what may be targeted to enhancing a woman's sexuality. Not all are clean shaven and most do not have feminine body shapes, instead simply wearing female clothing, makeup or wigs. Many of the okama who inhabit the Kamabakka Kingdom are very tall and large humans, easily twice the size of an average human like Sanji. Okama animals also have notable stubble on their faces and wear wigs, dresses, and makeup as well.

The Newkama wear clothing more suited for their body types. Due to being able to switch sex because of Emporio Ivankov's Devil Fruit, there are biological females as well as biological males in their number, although it is unknown how many or if any of them were originally female before becoming Newkama. Unlike the island's okama, they wear a wider variety of clothing, with some even modeled on animals or resembling undergarments.

Okama

See also the associated category: Okama.

Overall Strength

The Kamabakka Kingdom is home to the practice of the Okama Kenpo martial arts and also has 99 Masters of Newkama Kenpo. Okama are feared both for their mastery of their Martial Arts and for their status as Okama.

Members of the Kamabakka Kingdom are also skilled chefs capable of preparing Attack Cuisine, a special kind of food native to their island. They normally do not share the recipes for Attack Cuisine with outsiders and in order to learn them, one must defeat each of the 99 masters of Newkama Kenpo who are the keepers of the recipes.

Since they are former prisoners of Impel Down, it can be assumed that the Newkama are quite strong fighters, although it is unknown if they themselves are skilled at using Newkama or Okama Kenpo as they are only ever shown using swords or guns in battle.

Beliefs

Momoiro Island, the Okama paradise.

Unlike the Kuja, who are born on their island, their kingdom is a place where "those with a heart of a maiden" gather and therefore their memberships come from across the world to learn the okama way. This is not just restricted to humans, but to the animals of the island too. They do not see the issues related with being an okama that others might see, even though their own status as okama can be off putting to others.

As Sanji explained, he wanted to be more than just friends with women. However, the concept of loving a woman is not part of their beliefs as they wish only to befriend them, not to love them. They are not without understanding of the image of a handsome individual but are very open on their feelings to the point where some felt Sanji's rejection of their advances was only because he was being shy.

The okama of the Kamabakka Kingdom can be quite forceful about their beliefs towards newcomers on their island, often giving chase and trying to catch them by force in order to make them wear women's clothing and wigs as part of their initiation into the okama way, and may pursue potential candidates for days on end. Sanji himself experienced this firsthand and was left a bit traumatized from it.

Newkama

Newkama residents.

The Newkama (新人類（ニューカマー）, Nyūkamā^?, literally meaning "New Humanity") are a group of okama led by Emporio Ivankov, and they are all former Impel Down prisoners. They represent a more updated version of the Okama belief. Unlike the island okama, Newkama claim to go beyond the concept of gender since almost every one of them has experienced life in both male and female bodies thanks to Ivankov's Horu Horu no Mi. Although Newkama retain much of the eccentricities of okama, they are generally more serious when it comes to grave matters in comparison.

History

Imprisonment of Emporio Ivankov

For being a revolutionary commander, Emporio Ivankov was arrested and sent to level 5 of Impel Down. Iva and many other level 5 prisoners disappeared into level 5.5, until he aided Monkey D. Luffy in escaping from Impel Down.

Escape from Impel Down

After escaping from Impel Down, Ivankov and his Newkama subordinates aided Luffy in rescuing his brother. The okama of the Kamabakka Kingdom "aided" Luffy's crewmate Sanji in his training for the next two years, which proved to be a traumatizing experience.

Anime and Manga Differences

Further information: Bentham#Anime and Manga Differences

Okama (オカマ^?) is a Japanese slang term associated with effeminate "queer" men—particularly homosexuals and/or transvestites, and exaggerated cultural stereotypes thereof. These topics remain contentious in public discourse, especially as the term itself is often used as a pejorative.

As a result, the Toei anime initially censored almost all uses of Okama during the Arabasta Saga, changing the writing on Mr. 2's overcoat from Okama Way (おかま道^?) to Bon kure (盆暮れ^?) and rewording dialogue references into "ballerina," "swan," or more generic terms as necessary. Only two exceptions were allowed: in his singing of "Oh, Come My Way" (which was nevertheless heavily rewritten) in Episode 103, and his farewell poem to the Straw Hats in Episode 129.

In time, this policy was apparently lifted completely, as the eighth film was allowed to freely use the term in regards to Mr. 2. Beginning with the Impel Down Arc and its heavy emphasis on Newkama Land, the TV anime followed suit.

(However, most official merchandise—including every video game after Grand Battle! 2—continues to follow Toei's initial depiction of Mr. 2's coat with the Bon kure label.)

Translation and Dub Issues

Further information: Bentham#Translation and Dub Issues

As queer identities were arguably even more controversial topics in the United States than in Japan, earlier English translations often applied additional degrees of censorship to okama:

• The 4Kids-dubbed anime avoids all overt references, and for the most part follows Toei's preexisting rewrites (notwithstanding a throwaway "Don't ask, don't tell" joke at the end of the Arabasta Arc).
• The VIZ manga leaves the Okama Way on Mr. 2's coat unaltered, but transliterates it as "Oh Come My Way" in editorial side-notes; this convention is also used for Mr. 2's more dramatic pronouncements. More casual references mainly substitute swan as a euphemism, though the wider references to his being "both" male and female are kept (with the exception of Chapter 155's note on why Baroque Works did not assign him a female partner, which is changed to "he doesn't want one")
• The Funimation anime likewise follows Toei's rewrites in Arabasta, with the dub skipping the few intact uses of "Okama Way" (while subtitles use Viz's "Oh Come My Way" convention). In contrast, its release of the eighth film uses crossdresser as a translation.
  • From Impel Down on, Funimation has used queer as its default translation.

On a wider level, the most "accurate" English translation of Okama is subject to fan debate, as the term is associated with multiple identities and subcultures in Japan, with much variation between pejorative and self-identifying uses. While early fan translations commonly treated it as synonymous with male homosexuals, its actual use within One Piece seems limited to a specific transvestite culture, with few (if any) displaying romantic or sexual interest in men. Notably, despite presenting as a woman with a physically male body, Kikunojo has never been identified as an okama by the series or any related materials.

Trivia

• "Newkama" is a pun between "new okama" and the word "newcomer".
  • Bentham and Ivankov are the only known okama to be able to change sex on their own, due to their Devil Fruits.
• Ironically, prior to Mr. 2's introduction, Toei Animation had freely allowed okama jokes during the anime-original Warship Island Arc, with Eric's Kama Kama no Mi constantly being mislabeled as an okama-themed power by Luffy and other characters.
• Prior to One Piece, while working as an assistant to Nobuhiro Watsuki on Rurouni Kenshin, Oda proposed the concept of an okama wielding a giant scythe (大鎌, Ō-kama^?), which eventually became the basis for Honjō Kamatari.
• The song "Oh, Come My Way" is a pun of the words "Okama Way".

External links

• Okama – Wikipedia article about the term okama
• Drag Queen – Wikipedia article about drag queens