⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This article discusses One Piece lore up to recent arcs, including Laugh Tale, Poneglyphs, and the Will of D. Read at your own risk!
Is One Piece a rip-off of Castle in the Sky? Or is it one of the greatest tributes ever paid by one master storyteller to another? Japanese fans have been digging into this question for years — and the evidence they’ve uncovered is genuinely jaw-dropping. From ancient stone tablets to a shared voice actress, the connections between Oda’s magnum opus and Hayao Miyazaki’s 1986 classic run far deeper than most Western fans realize.
What Is Castle in the Sky (Laputa)?
Castle in the Sky (Tenkū no Shiro Laputa) was released on August 2, 1986 — Studio Ghibli’s very first feature-length animated film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in a fictional 19th-century European world during the Industrial Revolution, it follows two young teens — 13-year-old Pazu and 13-year-old Sheeta — on an adventure to find a legendary floating island called Laputa. The name “Laputa” itself comes from the flying island kingdom in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
Oda Is a Huge Miyazaki Fan — This Is Not a Coincidence
Before diving into the parallels, it’s important to establish that Eiichiro Oda is a self-confessed Miyazaki devotee. In an interview published in Ghibli’s free booklet Neppu (July 2014 issue), Oda stated:
“I’m a Miyazaki fan, so I want to see everything he makes.”
Oda has appeared four times on Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki’s radio program Ghibli Aseamire, contributed illustrations to a published book, and has been deeply connected to the Ghibli world throughout his career. He has absolutely seen Castle in the Sky — multiple times, most likely. With that context established, let’s get into the ten parallels that have Japanese fans talking.
10 Stunning Similarities Between One Piece and Castle in the Sky
① Laugh Tale and Laputa Look Remarkably Similar
The very first image of Laugh Tale shown in the manga (Volume 12, Chapter 105) bears a striking visual resemblance to Laputa — a lush, floating island shrouded in mystery. In the film, Laputa is permanently hidden inside a massive storm formation called the “Dragon’s Nest,” invisible to the outside world. Crucially, only someone who possesses a special stone can approach it. Sound familiar? Reaching Laugh Tale also requires deciphering stone-based clues — the Road Poneglyphs.
② The Black Stone Tablets and the Poneglyphs
Inside Laputa, there exists an ancient black stone slab covered in inscriptions — and the visual resemblance to One Piece’s Poneglyphs is essentially 1:1. Both are:
- Large, dark-colored stone tablets
- Covered in an ancient written language most people cannot read
- Connected to a lost, supremely powerful civilization
- Central to the main quest of the story
But here’s where it gets interesting: Laputa’s black stone doesn’t just contain writing. It also functions as a power source — which raises the question of whether the Poneglyphs, too, hold more than mere text.
③ Hidden Treasures of a Lost Empire
Laputa contains vast stores of gold and treasure — a detail that mostly only a minor character named General Mouro seems interested in. The Laputian Empire’s backstory maps remarkably onto One Piece’s Ancient Kingdom:
- An advanced civilization that existed over 700 years ago
- Possessed technology far beyond anyone else in the world (Over-Technology)
- Ruled the world from above, inspiring fear and awe
- Eventually fell due to a mysterious plague/catastrophe
- Survivors descended to the surface world and went into hiding
Swap “Laputian” for “Ancient Kingdom” and this reads like a One Piece wiki entry.
④ The “Ul” Bloodline vs. The Will of D
This is where the theory gets philosophically rich. In Castle in the Sky, the name “Ul” (ウル) in the Laputian language means “King.” The two surviving descendants of Laputa’s royal family both carry “Ul” in their full names:
- Sheeta (good): Lusheeta Toel Ul Laputa — “Toel” means “true,” making her the True King of Laputa
- Muska (evil): Romuska Paro Ul Laputa — a branch family descendant who inherited ancient documents about Laputa
Their conflict — a good “Ul” vs. a villainous “Ul” — creates the story’s central tension. Now consider the Will of D in One Piece:
- Good D’s: Luffy, Roger, Ace, Law, Robin…
- Evil D’s: Blackbeard (Teach), Rocks D. Xebec
The “D” may also signify “King” — and just like the Ul bloodline, the D clan is not a monolith. Some carry the will forward; others seek to twist it. The theory that Laugh Tale = the Kingdom of D may have its roots in Laputa’s mythology.
⑤ The Robot Soldiers and the Pacifistas
Laputa’s most iconic image — the giant, moss-covered robot soldiers standing guard over a ruined paradise — is the symbol of an empire’s Over-Technology outlasting the civilization that created it. In One Piece, the Pacifistas (and their successors, the Seraphim) serve the exact same narrative role: ancient or cutting-edge weapons of mass destruction that operate independently of the fallen power that built them. The parallel even extends to aesthetics — both are humanoid weapons deployed to crush opponents who threaten the status quo.
⑥ The Tiger Moth and the Ark Maxim
In Castle in the Sky, a sky pirate crew called the Dola Gang sails the heavens aboard their airship, the Tiger Moth. In One Piece’s Skypiea arc, the villain Enel commands his own flying vessel, the Ark Maxim. Both are large, fantastical airships used by antagonistic forces pursuing power connected to a sky-based ancient civilization. This connection also fuels speculation that Enel’s long-awaited return will be tied to Laugh Tale itself — since he learned secrets from the moon that no one else knows.
⑦ Pazu’s Father and Montblanc Noland
In Castle in the Sky, Pazu’s father actually photographed Laputa — but was dismissed as a fraud and died branded a liar. In One Piece, Montblanc Noland discovered the golden city of Shandia, but was executed as a liar when no one could corroborate his story. Both men:
- Found something real that the world refused to believe
- Were publicly discredited and humiliated
- Had their names cleared generations later — in Noland’s case, thanks to Luffy
⑧ Pazu and Luffy Share the Same Voice Actress
This is the detail that makes everything feel fated. In 1986, voice actress Mayumi Tanaka voiced the young hero Pazu in Castle in the Sky. Thirteen years later, in 1999, she began voicing Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece — winning the role through an open audition. And here’s what Oda said about it in the ONE PIECE 10th Treasures interview:
“Since the early drafts, I always imagined Luffy’s voice as Mayumi-san’s… I was just saying as a fan that I wanted the person who voiced Krillin and Pazu.”
Oda had Pazu’s voice actress in mind for Luffy from the very beginning. That’s not coincidence — that’s intentional homage.
⑨ “I Won’t Become a Pirate” vs. “I’m Going to Be King of the Pirates”
Midway through Castle in the Sky, Pazu joins the Dola pirate crew to rescue Sheeta. He tells her pointedly: “I’m not going to become a pirate.” Thirteen years later, the boy voiced by the same actress opens his story with: “I’m going to be King of the Pirates!!!!” The lines are a perfect thematic inversion — one boy refusing the pirate life, the other embracing it as his ultimate dream. Whether intentional or cosmic coincidence, the contrast is stunning.
⑩ Dola, Big Mom, and Dadan — The Wild Maternal Figures
Dola, the captain of the sky pirate gang in Castle in the Sky, is a fierce, large, wild woman who leads a crew and has three sons. One Piece fans will immediately think of two characters:
- Big Mom: A fearsome female pirate captain with 85 children
- Dadan: The mountain bandit chief who serves as a surrogate mother to Ace, Sabo, and Luffy — effectively three “sons”
Even Dola’s subordinates — the mechanic Motro and the strategist Daga — have visual counterparts in One Piece characters who appeared in the Corrida Colosseum during Dressrosa.
Bonus Theory: Is Laugh Tale Actually the “Land of the Horses”?
Here’s a fascinating final thread. Castle in the Sky is based on the flying island from Gulliver’s Travels. And when you map Gulliver’s journey against the One Piece world, something interesting emerges:
- Land of the Lilliputians (tiny people) → Tontatta Kingdom
- Land of the Giants → Elbaf / Little Garden
- Flying Island (Laputa) → Skypiea
- Land of the Immortals → Thriller Bark
- Japan → Wano Country
- Land of the Houyhnhnms (Horses) → ???
The Straw Hats have visited every country on Gulliver’s journey — except the Land of the Horses. Could Laugh Tale itself be inspired by the Land of the Houyhnhnms? It’s a wild theory, but given how deeply Gulliver’s Travels runs through both Castle in the Sky and One Piece, it’s not one to dismiss lightly.
Conclusion: Plagiarism or Masterful Homage?
Is One Piece a rip-off of Castle in the Sky? Absolutely not. But is it deeply, lovingly, and deliberately inspired by it? The evidence is overwhelming. From the black stone tablets and floating ancient kingdoms, to the shared voice actress and mirrored declarations about piracy, Oda has woven Miyazaki’s masterpiece into the DNA of One Piece in ways that reward attentive fans. The fact that Oda himself cited Pazu’s voice actress as his ideal for Luffy — before One Piece was even published — tells us everything we need to know. This isn’t theft. It’s the greatest compliment one storyteller can pay to another: carrying their spirit forward into something entirely new.