Two characters who fascinate me in the series are Jinbe and Carrot. One thing which fascinates me about them is just how different they are yet still parallel one another. Now you don’t need to like the two characters or even agree with some of these points. You might find them to be a stretch, yet there are some clear parallels Oda is drawing between the two which I do want to point out.
1. Their race – More of a direct one this but Jinbe and Carrot both come from races viewed by humans as savages. Two races isolated from the rest of the world. The Fishmen can’t live with the humans and so live in a city thousands of kilometres under the surface of the ocean. The minks choose not to live with humans and instead live thousands of kilometres in the sky on the back of an elephant. Both are races with a natural control over a certain element. The Fishmen controlling water an the minks controlling electricity. Both even come from a place that at one point had a Road Poneglyph.
2. The symbolism of the Sun and the Moon – It’s no coincidence that the two races are distinguished by their connection to the sun and the moon. The goal of the Fishmen is to move their city up to the surface surface so they can enjoy the sun along with the rest of the world. Jinbe himself in the latest chapters was being informed of the Sun God. The Minks on the other hand are heavily connected to the moon. The moon is theoretically what gives the Minks their powers and the key to them unlocking Sulong. Not only that but they are also allies of the Kozuki clan who are emblazoned with the crescent moon.
3. Their mentors – Interestingly enough, it was specifically these two who were mentored by the two people who followed this symbolism more than anyone else. It was Fisher Tiger who created the Sun Pirates and Pedro who created the Nox Pirates (Nox meaning night). Both contesting the World Government and trying to bring about a huge change in the world.
4. Their inherited will – Following the death of their mentors, these two characters inherited the wills of the Fishmen and the Minks alike. Fisher Tiger’s will to bring the Fishmen out of the darkness and into the sun is very similar to Pedro’s will to bring about the Dawn which ends the darkness over the world. Both these wills were passed on to Jinbe and Carrot respectively. With Jinbe learning only recently about the Sun God and Carrot very likely to learn about what the Dawn actually means.
5. Other fun parallels – Jinbe is old and wise, Carrot is young and naive. Jinbe uses strength and power primarily to win, Carrot uses speed and agility. Carrot is goofy. Jinbe is serious. Not much to this bit just interesting how much of an opposite the two are to one another.
*by SulongCarrotChan
