The Lunarians are a mysterious race in One Piece, whose sole survivor is King the Wildfire, the second-in-command of Kaidou's Beasts Pirates and of the main antagonists of the Straw Hat Crew during the Wano Arc of the best-selling manga. Details regarding the Lunarians' past and their appearance imply that this powerful race is actually connected to many other mysteries, and their origin could shed some light on the obscure ancient history that is the key to many secrets in the world of One Piece.
Very little is known about the Lunarians at the moment. Readers know that, in the past, they were considered like gods due to their great strength and endurance that let them thrive even in the most hostile environments, and the capacity to produce and control flames, all traits shared by King. They all have black, feathered wings, brown skin, and white hair. They used to dwell above the Red Line, the only continent in the world of One Piece. The only known inhabited place on the Red Line, in the present timeline of the manga, is Marijoa, the world capital and the residence of the highest authorities in the World Government, the Celestial Dragons nobles, the secret king Im and his councilors, the Five Elders. The connection between the World Government and the Lunarians, however, goes further than this. In the past, the Lunarians went nearly extinct, and the fact that the World Government seemingly hunts them around the globe, rewarding even the smallest information with a handsome sum, means that the current rulers of One Piece's world are probably connected to the disappearance of the Lunarians.
The Four Moon Tribes
The Straw Hat pirates already encountered a race with wings on their backs, the inhabitants of Skypeia, during the Sky Island arc. That land is inhabited by four tribes: Skypieans, possessing small wings that are pointed upward; Shandians (formerly known as Shandorians), who possess larger wings that also point upward; Birkans, with wings pointed downward. In the Enel's Great Space Operations Cover Page Serial, it was revealed that all the three tribes once lived on the Moon. When they exhausted the resources of their land, they came to Earth and settled on Skypeia and the nearby Birka. "Luna" is the Latin word for "moon", and considering the Lunarians also have wings, it is hard to not see a connection with the other "moon tribes". But the similarities do not end here.
In chapter #1035, King finally revealed his face, which he usually keeps hidden under a mask to hide his Lunarian identity from the World Government. When this happened, readers could see that he bears a striking resemblance to Wiper, a character that the Straw Hats encountered during the Sky Island arc. Wiper is a powerful Shandian warrior, and besides having features similar to King's, the two also share a peculiar tattoo around their left eye. This could be yet another sign of shared heritage between the Shandian and Lunarian tribes. Perhaps the Lunarians were the ruling tribe on the Moon, a hypothesis that could be confirmed by a theory behind King's true name.
What's in a Name
During a flashback in chapter #1035, readers were shown the first encounter between Kaidou and a young Lunarian boy named Alber, being held captive by the World Government. After Kaidou freed him, he also gave the boy a new name: King. The name Alber can be also pronounced as arber or arbil in Japanese, and Erbil was an ancient Sumerian city in Mesopotamia, later called by Assyrians arba’ū ilū, which means "four gods". The Lunarians have been described as "gods" several times in the manga, so the name Alber and the "four gods" meaning could be a hint to the fact that there were actually four tribes living on the Moon, and the Lunarians were considered as gods among them, being the strongest ones. While this theory can appear as a bit of a stretch, it is important to remember that there obvious references to ancient Mesopotamian carvings in the way that Eiichiro Oda draws the inhabitants of Skypeia, and King himself (as shown in the images above and below).
How does this all connect to the largest history of the world of One Piece? The Lunarians were a mighty race, so powerful to be considered as gods, then how did they come to be near extinct? The fact that King was a captive of the World Government, who is still on the hunt for Lunarians, could mean that the powerful organization is the reason for the fall of the ancient race. It is probably all connected to the "Void Century" a 100 years-long gap in recorded history, said to hold the secret of the "true history" of the world, the study of which is forbidden by the World Government. During that period, the forces of the mysterious Great Kingdom were defeated by the allied Twenty Kingdoms, who later became the World Government, de facto taking over the world and trying to erase all traces of that period.
The Sun and the Moon
An extremely relevant figure of the Void Century was Joy Boy, who has been teased to have great importance for the manga, but who is still shrouded in mystery. Joy Boy reached Laugh Tale, the final island of the Grand Line and the destination of every pirate who wants to find the great treasure called One Piece, hidden there. His return was also prophesized several times in the manga, but details are scarce, however, one theory connects him to another mysterious figure: the Sun God Nika. There is a lot of sun symbolism in One Piece, and key figures in the manga have been associated with the sun or sunrise. Nika was a legendary warrior that was once revered as the Sun God by slaves from ancient times, whom he liberated from their servitude. The word "Nike" in Greek means "victory", and in the Javanese language victory is "Jaya". An ancient, legendary king from Java was called Joyoboyo, which sounds a lot like Joy Boy. Joyoboyo was a strong and wise king, who brought prosperity to his kingdom.
Some fans theorize that Joy Boy was the "Sun God" of ancient times, the king of the Ancient Kingdom who fought and lost against the World Government. With so much symbolism relating to the sun, it is highly unlikely that the Lunarians do not have a connection to the moon. It is unclear how this all ties together, however. Perhaps the Lunarians were allies of the Ancient Kingdom and were hunted down for this reason. Perhaps they also have a connection to the sun, an idea that is reinforced by their ability to manipulate flames. Fans have already connected Nika the Sun God to Skypeia, noticing how the only representation of Nika shown until now strongly resembles a Shandian warrior, and also looks similar to an image of Luffy, the series protagonist, dancing around a fire during the Sky Island arc. If Nika (who could be Joy Boy) and the Moon tribes are connected, then perhaps the Lunarians are too.
The fantastic world created by Eiichiro Oda for One Piece has a long, and mostly mysterious, history. With so many characters and plots appearing in each new chapter, it is hard to keep track of One Piece's grand design. Fans of the manga enjoy putting together theories to explain its mysteries, and the Lunarians are just the latest addition to that puzzle.