God Valley Flashback dethroned Roger from One Piece fans' esteem, and for a good reason

Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself, has always carried a near-mythical presence in the world of One Piece. But after the recent God Valley flashback in One Piece Chapter 1160, cracks have appeared in that once-flawless image. For the first time, I saw Roger not as the invincible Pirate King, but as a man who was immature, goofy, and even overshadowed by others.

The God Valley flashback was hyped as one of the most important moments in the series. It brought together the three legends of the old era: Garp, Roger, and Rocks. I expected to see Roger’s dominance, his commanding leadership, and the spark of the “Pirate King” title that would come later.

Instead, I got something unexpected: Roger being trampled by his own crew as they rushed to rescue Shakky, while he was left behind looking like a fool. To me, it felt almost Luffy-like: someone strong but often sidelined by the antics and priorities of his crew. Except, unlike Luffy’s moments of growth, Roger’s God Valley appearance lacked the “Pirate King aura” that his reputation suggested.

One of the most striking takeaways for me is how much more impressive Garp and Rocks look compared to Roger. Garp arrived like a force of nature, his “Meteor Fist” shaking the battlefield and Marines cheering his name. Moreover, Rocks D. Xebec, once dismissed as a name dropped for hype, has now been fleshed out as an ambitious, chaotic, and terrifying presence.

By contrast, Roger in One Piece Chapter 1160 looked small in scale. Instead of shaping the event, he was shaped by it. It’s no wonder that in my mind, Garp and Rocks come across as the true legends of this incident.

The fandom is speculating that his encounters with Rocks or even the events themselves gave him the motivation to pursue the Void Century, the Will of D., and the true history of the world. In other words, God Valley didn’t diminish Roger for me; it sparked the transformation that turned him into the man who reached Laugh Tale.

Before this flashback, Roger seems almost aimless. He was strong, free-spirited, and chasing adventure, but he lacked the seriousness and vision that would later define him. The humiliation and chaos of God Valley could very well have been the turning point when Roger realized the truth about the world, the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons, and the need for deeper answers beyond treasure.

I speculate that his encounters with Rocks or even the events themselves gave him the motivation to pursue the Void Century, the Will of D., and the true history of the world.

Why did One Piece Chapter 1160 make fans feel like Rogers was dethroned?

At the end of the day, Roger’s reputation has always been larger than life. He’s the Pirate King, the man who conquered the seas and sparked the greatest age of piracy. But when Oda peels back the layers, showing him as immature, goofy, and not the dominant force at God Valley, it challenges that myth for me.

• Compared to Rocks, Roger looks like a rookie.
• Compared to Garp, Roger looks less heroic.
• Compared to his own future self, Roger looks immature.

That’s why I feel he’s been dethroned. Not because he was weak, but because the reality doesn’t live up to the myth I had in my head. Although the God Valley flashback didn’t ruin Roger for me, it humanized him.

Yes, it showed him being overshadowed, memed, and even trampled by his own crew and made Garp and Rocks look far more impressive in the moment. But that doesn’t erase Roger’s accomplishments; it contextualizes them.

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If anything, this flashback shows me why Roger later became the Pirate King. He wasn’t born as the flawless legend I once believed; he was forged through failure, humiliation, and hard lessons. God Valley might not have been Roger’s finest hour, but it was the moment that lit the fire for everything he achieved afterward.

So while I might say Roger was dethroned in my eyes, I also think this flashback gave me something better: a glimpse of Roger, the man, before he became Roger, the myth.

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