Horse Yokai in ‘One Piece’ explained

Yokais are frequently mentioned in One Piece. Elements including demonic influences, terms, or even Devil Fruits are quite prevalent throughout the entire story. But of course, no one could have guessed that the Five Elders would be channeling mystical Japanese folklore through their fighting.

To be quite honest, we shouldn’t be surprised — Sabo did say that his encounter with the Five Elders was like entering Hell itself. So truthfully, the fact that Eiichiro Oda went ahead and actually gathered five incredibly overpowered mythical creatures isn’t at all too off-the-wall for the author (really, nothing truly is). What we didn’t know is that their first actual appearance in the Egghead arc would show that they are the most petrifying creatures to have entered the series thus far — surpassing even Imu’s common appearance.

With that said, through what we already know from Japanese folklore, there are some details regarding each Gorosei that we can assume. This time around though, we’ll be going through the Horse Yokai — the demon that inspired Oda to create Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro’s hybrid form.

What is the Horse Yokai in One Piece?

The Five Elder Ethanbaron appears to have consumed a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that transforms him into the commonly called “Horse Yokai.” Yokai means demon (or supernatural creature if you will), and it alludes to Bakutso, a Yokai that is believed to possess the spirit of a horse that burned to death. The horse’s fate likely translates through the Five Elder’s centaur-like figure, where its lower half appears to be only comprised of bones — alluding to the tale’s ending. Quite morbid-looking, but it does make sense.

We have yet to see his fully transformed Yokai form though. Unlike the Worm Yokai, Ethanbaron has only displayed his human-hybrid form as he sliced the Pacifista during the fight in Egghead. In this same fight, we also learn that his Devil Fruit is likely awakened — due to the black gusts that surround the Elder. He is also capable of engaging in a fight without even the Marines noticing his presence — despite Rob Lucci and Zoro immediately sensing his Haki.

Interestingly enough, we’ve also seen an oddly curious way his power displays. Once he sliced all the Pacifista, they weren’t cut in half, as many Marines seemed to believe. Instead, they were partially frozen, proving that either his sword or his Devil Fruit power enables him to use ice and freeze his opponents. This would be an interesting contradiction to Bakutso’s morbid fate, giving the Elder the power to essentially freeze his opponents.

Not much more is known about the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, but at least we’re no longer in the clear regarding the Five Elders and their undeniably supreme and mighty powers. Now all we have to do is wait for Chapter 1111 to arrive, followed by three weeks of pure agony — sorry, three weeks of One Piece breaks.