One Piece Live Action’s Buggy Theory Could Tear the Fandom in Two
One Piece raises the stakes in Chapter 1121 as Vegapunk claims a shadowy force is erasing rare races from history. With Buccaneers, Lunarians, and the Three-Eye Tribe already hunted or shunned by the World Government, a bold fan theory hints at a secret fourth race hiding in plain sight.
File this under: ideas that sound silly until you remember this is One Piece. A growing fan theory says the series might be hiding another near-extinct race in plain sight: clowns. Yes, clowns.
The manga setup
In Chapter 1121, Vegapunk warns that certain rare races are being targeted for erasure. We already know three that exist in the story: Buccaneers, Lunarians, and the Three-Eye Tribe. Across the board, those groups have been hunted by the World Government or treated like second-class citizens.
Vegapunk says 'someone' is trying to erase certain races.
The fan theory (and why it is not as wild as it sounds)
On Reddit, user u/ShiroOracle09 pitches a fourth, hidden group: the clowns. The claim is that characters with exaggerated clown-like features — think Buggy, Gecko Moria, and others — are part of an ancient, nearly wiped-out people. The suggestion even goes as far as saying they were enslaved or experimented on, similar to what happened to Kuma and King.
Is that a reach? Absolutely. Is it also the kind of reach that could work in One Piece if Oda ever decided to lean into it? Also yes. And if the live-action wants another lore hook to play with, this is a layup.
Who actually counts as a 'clown' in One Piece?
Oda loves extreme character designs, which is exactly why clowns slip by as almost normal. There are not many of them, which actually helps the theory: if there are only a handful, maybe they are rare for a reason. Here is where you meet the key players:
- Buggy the Clown — Chapter 9 / Episode 4
- Gecko Moria — Chapter 449 / Episode 343
- Caesar Clown — Chapter 658 / Episode 581
- Charlotte Mont-d'Or — Chapter 829 / Episode 789
- Charlotte Perospero — Chapter 834 / Episode 795
Buggy is the obvious starting point: an early-series antagonist who got humbled fast, then stuck around as elite comic relief, accidentally tripped into becoming an Emperor, and now lives rent-free in fan theories. Caesar Clown is the New World counterpart: the Punk Hazard big bad who, once beaten, slides into the same lane as a snarky, reluctant ally. The theory even lumps Buggy and Caesar together as skilled inventors — which, for Buggy, is generous — and notes they both matter post-timeskip.
Then there are the not-technically-Clown clowns: Moria, Mont-d'Or, and Perospero. None of them carry the 'Clown' title, but the makeup, silhouettes, and carnival-from-a-nightmare vibes are hard to miss. As for persecution, beyond Moria getting targeted, there is no clear evidence the World Government is actively hunting the rest. Rare race or not, a lot of this could just be deliberate style choices.
Why the live-action might actually nail this
Netflix already cracked the Buggy code. Jeff Ward plays him with a perfect mix of menace and weirdo charisma — the performance sells the killer clown energy without turning the show into a horror movie. He is funny, he is unsettling, and it works.
Assuming the live-action eventually brings in Moria and Caesar (which feels inevitable), there is a lot of room to push that tone further. Honestly, their Caesar could easily outdo the anime and manga version. If Oda ever declares clowns a true rare race, the live-action has a ready-made visual language to make that feel meaningful, not just a design quirk. It would not be for everyone, but it would deepen the lore in a way that fits the show.
Do you buy the clown-race theory? Or is this just a fun pattern we are all overthinking? Drop your take below.
One Piece (anime) is streaming on Crunchyroll. The live-action series is streaming on Netflix.