One Piece: Kaido and How the Four Symbols Predict the Endgame of One Piece

The Four Symbols consist the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermillion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and Black Tortoise.

We have met Seiryu the Azure Dragon and it is none other than Kaido.

The other symbols can fit into One Piece quite vaguely.

The Vermillion Bird is often mistaken for a Fenghuang or Chinese phoenix, the creature associated with the Chinese Empress just as the dragon is to the Chinese Emperor.

However, Suzaku the Vermillion Bird could be Marco the Phoenix.

Although his healing flames are blue, he does hold the Mythical Zoan fruit, the Tori Tori no Mi: Model Phoenix, the very first Mythical Zoan formally introduced to the series, long before Kaido’s arrival.

The Vermillion Bird represents Summer and Fire, tied to the concepts of warmth, excitement, fermentation and extreme luck.

While we do have a prominent Tiger Ancient Zoan in Who’s Who the Saber Tiger, the closest figure we have to Byakko the White Tiger is the Wisteria Tiger, Admiral Fujitora.

His Paramecia Devil Fruit, the Zushi Zushi no Mi, controls gravity.

The White Tiger is associated with Autumn and the element of Metal, which is associated with loss and grief, and considering the loss of his eyes and the potential reasons for them, Issho could fit the role fine.

However, this looseness of the usage of Four Symbols could change with the introduction of Saint Rimoshifu Killingham, the Qilin, a half-horse, half-dragon creature or a mythical deer that is connected to giraffes.

How Killingham’s Appearance Confirms Oda’s Use of the Four Symbols

In the Four Symbols, the qilin is placed as the “fifth” principle in the equation, representing the Earth as the Center while the Four Symbols refer to the four direction.

Although Kaido’s Devil Fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi: Model Azure Dragon, has the ability to control storms and fire, within Wuxing or the Chinese Five Phases or Elements, the Azure Dragon represents Wood or Springtime, in other words growth.

This could tie well with the Qilin, which is treated as a Yellow Dragon, an Earth dragon.

This is quite humorous as in Naruto, Sasuke’s Kirin technique is a Lightning Style Jutsu, which is the elemental counter to Earth.

In Wuxing, Earth represents a balance of yin and yang and its motion is that of conservation.

This fits with Killingham’s role as a God’s Knight, an enforcer of the current order but it could have links to other aspects of One Piece’s own mythology.

Do take note that just like Kaido, Killingham’s powers will not be strictly tied to the literal element of Earth, since in the Four Symbols, Earth does not refer to the physical element but the planet itself and the Wuxing elements are more like phases of matter than physical elements.

In many stories, the qilin is also shown to use multiple elemental powers, notably the ability to manipulate fire.

This makes Sasuke’s Lightning Kirin from Naruto make some sense.

Within Chinese mythology, the presence of a Qilin signifies the death of a sage or a ruler.

Considering that King Harald of Elbaph died six years before the start of the story, Killingham’s timing is quite off but storywise, it could signify someone in the story might die or appear, if Oda intends to apply this aspect of the myth.

The Azure Dragon’s timing was perfect because the Wood element represents the Springtime, the season of growth and change, which is best shown not only in the liberation of Wano from Kaido the Azure Dragon but also in the awakening of Gear 5, Luffy’s peak.

Additionally, Aramaki appeared after the Azure or Wood Dragon’s defeat and the admiral happens to be the user of the Mori Mori no Mi, the Logia Fruit that produces forests of trees.

If we take Marco to be the Vermillion Bird, then his timing was perfect and he is accompanied by his direct Logia counterpart too!

Even before the Wano Country Arc established this pattern, Marco’s Mythical Zoan first appeared during the Marineford Arc where Luffy’s brother and the Flame Flame Devil Fruit user, Portgas D. Ace, died.

And it so happened that Marco’s Fire Bird has the ability to heal and regenerate, rather than burn.

The appearance of two Fire-related powers, on top of Akainu’s Magu Magu no Mi, a magma-producing Logia, being responsible for killing the OG Fire user, cannot be coincidence.

That is because the conclusion of the Summit War has Luffy regenerate from such tragedy through the warmth of still having a crew and dedicating the two years, a “long summer” towards growing in his skills.

Perhaps Killingham’s appearance and possible confrontation with Luffy or the Elbaph Giants could signify the arrival of Nika in front of the Giants or of someone else of great importance.

It could be Loki’s awakening of his Devil Fruit powers or his ascension to the throne of Elbaph.

Perhaps it could be Jarul’s death, since he would fit the template of a sage.

Maybe Loki is the missing Genbu the Black Tortoise, who also happens to be connected to Winter and Winter is the season of the Underworld Loki is trapped in.

Not the most grand Legendary Devil Fruit but Oda has plenty of surprises up in store for us.

But the coming of Winter at the very end could signal a true end for the One Piece world and, most certainly, all the more reason for Sun God Nika to be desired by the world in the form of Luffy.

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