One Piece is currently in the climax of the Elbaf arc, and Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the story, has unveiled quite a lot of important lore about the world he created in this segment of the story. As is the case with each arc, Eiichiro Oda has significantly expanded upon the races of the One Piece world. While Elbaf is primarily about the overpowered Giants who once ruled the New World, as confirmed officially in Chapter 1137, it has also introduced us to a new and unique race with a special trait through the character of Princess Shuri.
This race remains unnamed for now, but it holds the peculiar idiosyncrasy of bipolar irises desired by the King of the World, Nerona Imu, himself. So far, only two characters from this race have been revealed to us with unique eyes, with others having existed long ago in the past. This rare race is also a race of Gods, as it exists and ties directly to the Manmayer Family, confirmed officially in One Piece Chapter 1186 on June 29, 2026.
One Piece's Elbaf Arc Confirms A Unique Race Of Gods With Bipolar Irises
The world of One Piece has introduced us to quite a lot of incredible races. Eiichiro Oda's world is extremely diverse, with a ton of races, such as the Fishmen, the Tontatas, the Giants, the Buccaneers, the Long Neck and the Long Arm Tribes, and many others. In the Elbaf arc, specifically in One Piece chapter 1186, which was officially released on June 29, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #31, Eiichiro Oda introduced to us another race which is tied directly to the Gods. This race remains unnamed as things stand, and we have only seen two of its members, those being Princess Shuri from Esperia Kingdom and her father, Manmeyer Gurou.
“Mixed races have always existed throughout history. Buccaneers, Dosundadas, Long-Leg-Long-Necks, Wotans. Such hybrids are rare and often struggle to thrive on their own, but in every era, there have always been those who were more flexible, if you know what I mean. Love knows no bounds.” — Gaban explains the various races and mixed races, One Piece Chapter #1139
It is said that this race wields the power of Bipolar Irises, but these bipolar irises don't awaken in every member. Only a select few have access to them, and these bipolar irises grant them significant power. Unfortunately, Eiichiro Oda has not yet explained what the power of these bipolar irises is, but this was the primary reason why Esperia was ravaged and destroyed and why Princess Shuri was taken to the Holy Land of Marijoa around 60 years ago. Given that these bipolar irises only manifest in members of the Manmayer Family, this is not a new official trait of Gods that Oda has introduced. We are eagerly waiting to see how he expands upon them in the Final Saga as the story continues.
"Normally, I wouldn't come to a backwater like this just to recover a measly whelp. But, her bipolar irises are an extremely rare trait, and the Great One desires her. While it may not have awakened for me, perhaps she can..." — Gurou explains the power of Bipolar Irises, One Piece Chapter #1186
Why The Bipolar Iris Race Is Special
The race with bipolar irises is incredibly rare, with only two members having been revealed so far. Along with the Three-Eyed Tribe, which has only Pudding as the only known member, it is one of the rarest races to exist in the world of One Piece. In the case of the Three-Eyed Tribe, we know that their special ability is to be able to decipher the Poneglyphs. As is the case with the race with the Bipolar Irises, this ability does not awaken in everyone, including those who possess all three eyes. Similarly, in the case of this new race with bipolar irises, despite having the special eye, the ability does not always awaken for everyone.
"If that was a hallucination and the Princess was actually a victim back then, then, can I please ask your support in putting my faith in Princess Shuri once again? Would you give me your strength to save the Princess?" — Brook wants to save Shuri, One Piece Chapter #1186
In the case of Manmayer Gurou, Shuri's father, who served as a member of the Holy Knights, this ability never awakened, but Shuri certainly does hold the potential to awaken it and will most likely go on to hold it in the future. The primary reason why Nerona Imu wanted Princess Shuri at his side was that he craves the special trait of bipolar irises that this race possesses.
As far as what Bipolar Irises do, we don't know yet. One interesting idea pertaining to the powers of bipolar irises is the ability to see the future. It is highly likely that these eyes have the power to see into the future and predict the major events to unfold. In One Piece Chapter 1146, Gunko foreshadowed a major war that would split the entire world, and it is possible that this was directly tied to her bipolar iris ability. More on this will be revealed by the creator of the series, Eiichiro Oda, later down the line.
The Fate of The New Race Of One Piece
As things stand, we only know of two members of this unique race with Bipolar Irises in One Piece, and they're most certainly going to be extremely important in the last stretch of the story, with Princess Shuri as our POV to follow. As things stand, we know for a fact that one of the main goals of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Elbaf arc is to rescue Princess Shuri from the clutches of the World Government. Brook made it his goal to save the Princess from the cruelty she endured in the Holy Land of Marijoa and trust her once again after decades. The Straw Hat Pirates are already working on her rescue, and One Piece Chapter 1189, which was officially released on July 26, 2026, gave us a proper look at Shuri being freed from the ice block by Ragnir.
Shuri: Didn't you want to become a Pirate, Brook?
Brook: I'm happy to put my dreams on hold while I repay my debts to his majesty.
Shuri: Then, when the time comes, I'll sail with you!
— Oda sets up Shuri joining the Straw Hats, One Piece Chapter #1185
Now, all that remains is her full awakening, after which Oda could potentially have her join Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. If that were to happen, we would find out all about the special race with Bipolar Irises, including their special ability and why Nerona Imu craves their power for himself. It will be extremely exciting to see this new race with Bipolar Irises aid the Straw Hat Pirates as they press forward towards the Final Island, Laugh Tale, where they will find out the truth about the entire world and confront the greatest enemy and the threat of the World Government.
All the new One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
One Piece
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
