The Beloved Character Fans Hope Returns To One Piece

The enormously popular anime adventure series "One Piece" celebrated its 22nd anniversary in October, which means Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates have been sailing the high seas for a very long time. The series will release its 1000th episode on Saturday, November 20 (or November 21, depending on where you live, per Dual Shockers), promising a long-awaited meeting between Luffy and Kaido as the Wano Country Arc comes to an end. Such a milestone is sure to mean the episode will feature plenty of surprises for fans who have stuck around since the beginning.

It should come as no surprise that, in all their time searching the world over for the titular one piece, the Straw Hats have encountered hundreds upon hundreds of unique characters along their journey. Friends, foes, villains, and heroes — they've run into every sort of character you could imagine during their search. While many characters have joined forces with Luffy and stuck around for the remainder of the series, there are many more who have all but disappeared from the anime.

Fans have been wondering for years when and if some of these beloved characters would ever make a reappearance in the show: and with the way things are shaping up in the current arc, there's no better time for that than the present. One such character has been missing from the series since Episode 193 (via IMDb), though his presence has (quite literally) been hanging over our characters ever since then.

Enel, formerly known as the God of Skypeia, is the tyrannical ruler of Skypeia Island. As such, he served as the primary antagonist for not only the Skypeia arc but throughout the entire Sky Island Saga, too (per the "One Piece" Fandom page). He is one of the most dangerous villains the Straw Hats have ever encountered, as his powers allow him to control and summon bolts of lightning and even transform himself into lightning while battling his opponents.

At the end of the Skypeia arc (via Fandom), Enel meets his match in a battle with Luffy, whose rubber body is, of course, immune to all his attacks. Following their battle, Enel is soundly defeated and dethroned as the ruler of Skypeia. He isn't dead; instead, he escapes on his massive airship and flies away to settle on the moon. He succeeds and has been the ruler of the moon ever since.

Enel has apparently just been biding his time on the moon following the Skypeia arc. If he returns, it would be fun to hear all about his adventures amongst the stars. Fans wishing to see Enel return may get their wish as the series begins to approach what might be the biggest war in series history, especially since he's been hanging out right above our characters this entire time.